This Fragile Heart
by LovelyLadiiZ
Summary: Sequel to Not Your Average Angel. As they begin their new life together, Horatio and Angel encounter numerous problems. Will these issues bring them closer, or will it tear them apart? Meanwhile, Calleigh and Eric disagree on their future together. Horatio/OC & E/C romance; DuCaine friendship.
1. Prologue: If Only…

Author's Note: So I'm back! And here's the sequel. I want to say this is a tiny bit AU since Tim Speedle is still alive and I have no intention of killing him. There might be some more AU-ness later on, but I'll let you know if/when that happens.

Setting: Chapter one begins just a few days after the last story ended, which is around mid-season 3.

Romance Parings: Horatio/Angel, Eric/Calleigh, Tim/Natasha, Danté/Daniella

Friendship Parings: Lots of Horatio/Calleigh and Eric/Tim; some Angel/Calleigh, Danté/Horatio, and Angel/Alexx

* * *

Prologue: If Only…

* * *

_**Sunday, August 28, 2005**_

Horatio sprinted down the hospital corridor. Millions of questions swarmed within his mind, but there was one that he just _had_ _to_ find an answer to.

_Will Angel be okay?_

It had only been several hours since his wife had been rushed to Grace Memorial, but it seemed like ages since he'd last seen her. He couldn't help but blame himself for the entire predicament. He knew she grew depressed after they began having marriage troubles several months ago, and Horatio felt only he was at fault for that.

They grew distant over the months. They didn't communicate the same way anymore. They often questioned the other's motives behind their actions, and every time it ended in an argument. Every issue that could possibly end even the most perfect marriage came up. Lying. Cheating. Mistrusting. Miscommunication. They argued about anything and everything, and it clearly took its toll on the Caine woman.

She kept to herself and started acting differently. She would constantly give him the silent treatment, often days at a time. She often seemed to forget about their kids. Horatio had been called constantly to pick the children up from his in-laws' because Angel had seemingly disappeared and wouldn't pick up her phone. Horatio clearly could tell that was depressed, no matter how much she tried to convince him that she was fine. At first the male figured it was related to her stresses about becoming a mother, and later her postpartum depression. She often wanted to be left alone, and Horatio obeyed her wishes. But now he wished that he confronted this issue the first time and ended this mess before it even began.

If only he would've done things differently, Horatio thought. If only he would've talked to her when she said she didn't want to be bothered, if he would've insisted on her going back to therapy instead of leaving her be, maybe she wouldn't be in this mess. If he would've done something earlier, she wouldn't be in the hospital, on the brink of death. If only he could go back to when it all began…


	2. 01: Who Are You?

Chapter 1: Who Are You?

* * *

…_Several Months Earlier…_

_**Monday, February 28, 2005**_

Angel Rose Caine pulled into the parking lot of the Miami-Dade crime lab that afternoon around lunch time. It had been only a couple weeks since she'd been wed to Horatio, and the redhead spent a majority of the past week at work. The crime rate in Miami had skyrocketed, and things at the lab were incredibly hectic. 12-hour shifts became common, and sometimes he'd work even longer than that. So that day, Angel decided to surprise her husband by personally bringing him a homemade lunch.

The woman exited her vehicle and strode long strides with her lengthy legs. Her pace slowed to a stop when she saw her husband. He was at the base of the steps talking to a police officer. Angel allowed herself to study him. He stood in his usual stance—hands on hips, legs slightly apart. Angel wasn't so sure why she found this to be attractive, but she did. He was wearing sunglasses, but not just any sunglasses; he was wearing the very shades Angel bought him about seven months ago on her twenty-eighth birthday, the same day that he proposed to her. The woman smiled at the memory and thought it was rather sweet that he still used his gift all these months.

The two law enforcement officers ended their conversation and Horatio nodded a goodbye as the policeman walked away. The lieutenant spotted Angel and smiled as she approached him.

"Angel, what are you doing here?" he asked, pleasantly surprised.

"I came to bring you a little something to eat," she replied as she held up a Tupperware container. "Smothered pork chops and mashed potatoes. Just like how my mom used to make them."

Horatio's grin widened as he took the container in his hands. He noted it was still warm. "Thank you, love. Did you just make this?"

"Mm-hmm. I have a lot of time on my hands since I didn't enroll in the regular spring semester. So until Maymester begins, I've gotta keep myself busy." She paused. "Well…without going shopping every day, that is."

Horatio couldn't help but laugh. "I'm glad you're _not_ going shopping every day. Sera and Gabriel are going to need clothes and food, and we won't be able to get that for them if you shop away our savings before they're born."

Angel pursed her burgundy-lipsticked lips. "I have _some_ self-control."

Horatio nodded skeptically. "Must I remind you about the Louis Vuitton incident? Oh, and let's not forget how you 'accidentally' bought three pairs of designer shoes while out buying groceries last week. I'm _still_ stumped on how it was an 'accident'."

"How many times do I have to tell you that sales don't count?" Angel retorted playfully. "And about the shoes, that _was_ an accident. Well…_semi_-accident, anyway."

The redhead chuckled as he leaned close to give his wife a peck on the cheek. "Just try not to have anymore 'semi-accidents,' love. We need to save up for our twins."

"Okay baby," Angel said with a grin. "What time you comin' home tonight?"

"I'm not sure…late, most likely. I've got lots of catching up to do on paperwork, and I've got to get started on another case."

"Okay. Anything special you want for dinner?"

"Nothing that I can think of, no…surprise me, sweetheart," the redhead said and looked down to his pager that beeped. "I've got to go…I'll see you tonight." He kissed his wife on the cheek once more, saying, "I love you."

"Love you too, baby," Angel replied as he walked up the stairs.

* * *

Calleigh Duquesne sighed irritably as she checked the time. She'd been working hard to finish processing evidence for the past several hours. She was nowhere near a stopping point, and it was nearing the end of their shift. The fact that it was her thirty-first birthday that day only worsened her irritation for the involuntary overtime she was burdened with.

"Well happy birthday to me," Calleigh muttered to herself sarcastically as she sifted through evidence over the table in the layout room.

The blonde continued to work quietly on processing her evidence as quickly and accurately as possible. She hoped that she could start heading home within the next hour so she could spend time with her fiancé and daughter before it got too late.

Eric was just finishing things up for his own shift. As he was on his way to check out, he saw his fiancée in the layout room. She often had to work more overtime than he did, he noticed. Over the past few weeks, they had to take separate cars since Calleigh was required to go in earlier and stay later than he did. The absence of her at home drove Eric crazy, and he could tell that she was going crazy, too.

"Hey, birthday girl," Eric said as he peeked his head into the layout room. "You finishing up?"

"Yeah," Calleigh responded with an elongated sigh. "At least I hope so. I'm getting there."

Delko chuckled. "Try not to work yourself to death, Cal. You need some rest, especially since it's your birthday."

The woman nodded. "I'll see what I can put off until tomorrow. I most likely won't be leaving until an hour from now, though, so you've got to pick up Sabrina from daycare."

"I'm already on it, Cal. So what do you want for dinner? Do you feel like going out to eat, or do you just want me to pick something up on the way home?"

"Just pick up anything," answered Calleigh. "Right now all I want to do is go home and relax."

"Okay," Eric said. "I'll see you later, then."

"Hopefully sooner rather than later," the blonde replied. The male smiled dryly as he continued down the corridor and to the front desk to sign out.

* * *

Horatio turned onto Coral Drive around seven that evening. He only ended up spending a couple hours more at the lab than his usual shift required. He decided to surprise his wife with some flowers—purple tulips, her favorite—so he went straight to the local florist before returning home. Horatio knew he had rather ulterior motives for his surprise; every time he surprised her, he gained a pleasant _surprise_ in return.

The first thing Horatio saw as he pulled up to his condo was a car in the driveway. Someone came to visit Angel? She hadn't mentioned anything about that when she came to bring him lunch earlier. Whoever their visitor was drove a rather nice car, H noticed—a cherry red BMW convertible. He didn't even know Angel knew anyone who owned a BMW. Horatio wondered who their mystery visitor was as he parked his vehicle on the curb, went up the pathway, and opened the front door.

As he stepped into the condo, Horatio heard Angel giggling uncontrollably. The redhead followed the sound of his wife's nervous laugh.

"I'm being serious," said a male voice. "You're a beautiful woman, Angel. Horatio is very lucky to have you."

"Thank you," Angel replied shyly.

"So when _is_ your husband supposed to be back, anyway?"

"I'm not sure. He most likely won't be back until later tonight, though."

Horatio saw Angel sitting at the dinner table across from a tall black man. He looked to be in his twenties and most likely no older than Angel. He had a well groomed beard, which he scratched every few seconds. H figured this was a nervous reaction. The lieutenant CSI noticed that the black male had an expensive wardrobe to match his expensive car—a designer suit, shoes, and what appeared to be a Rolex on his left wrist.

"Really?" the mystery man said before scratching his beard a bit more. "Well in that case, we can get started…"

"Love," Horatio said as he approached them. "You didn't mention we'd have company."

Angel gasped and shot up from her seat. "Horatio! What are you doing here?"

The redhead frowned inwardly at the woman's edgy behavior. Despite his suspicion, Horatio tried to remain calm. "I live here, love," he jested. "Remember?"

Angel gave a half-smile. "Yes. Right. Of course. Um…" She raised her hand to tug at her hair. "You're probably wondering who this is."

The man smiled warmly, rising from his seat. He extended a hand to Horatio's. "I'm Jackson…Jackson Waters. Angel and I went to high school together."

Horatio completed the handshake, matching Jackson's grin with a false one of his own. "Horatio Caine. Angel, I didn't know you had a high school classmate who lived in the area."

"She didn't either," Jackson said. "I recently moved out here from San Francisco."

Horatio caught Angel's flinch. He also knew that someone was definitely lying, as he recalled that Angel went to high school in San Diego.

"Uh, Jackson, you forgot, didn't you?" Angel said with a lopsided and rather nervous smile. "You, uh…y-you moved north to San Francisco during our senior year. Before then you went to San Diego High with me."

Jackson's face fell for a brief moment before he grinned again. "Right. I keep forgetting about that."

An awkward silence consumed the three. Horatio eyed this man, this so-called _high school buddy_ of Angel's. He sensed something fishy going on simply by that proverbial feeling he got when he questioned a suspect who was guilty of a crime. He also saw Angel fiddling with her hair uncontrollably—an action she only did when she was very nervous about something.

A few moments later, Jackson cleared his throat. He took up a briefcase that lay the table legs and said, "Well I've got to run. Angel, it's good seeing you again. And Horatio, it's nice to meet you. The three of us should have lunch sometime."

"I'll see you out, Jackson," Angel said and led the male to the front door.

Horatio sighed as he was left alone in the house. What was his wife lying to him about? Horatio desperately wanted an answer to that question. He then recalled that in wondering who his guest was, he forgot that he left the flowers for his wife in the car. Horatio went out the side door to go to his car. His pace slowed as he saw Angel talking to Jackson at his car. Horatio wasn't within hearing distance, though, so he couldn't make out what they were talking about.

The redhead walked towards his wife after Jackson pulled out of the driveway. Angel sighed, pulling her hair a bit more. She turned around to see her husband standing right behind her. The woman jolted backwards in apprehension, yelping, "Damn, Horatio!"

"Well that's no way to greet your husband," Horatio half-joked.

Angel gave that familiar nervous laugh. "Uh, yeah. Sorry, you just startled me. What are you doing out here, though?"

Horatio smiled weakly. "I have a surprise for you. It's in the car."

Angel grinned. "Okay. I'll wait for you inside, then."

Horatio nodded and continued towards the car. As he got the flowers from the passenger seat, he couldn't help but think back to the conversation that Angel had with Jackson. Something wasn't right, he knew, but he wasn't exactly sure what that something was yet.

"Tulips!" Angel gasped as she saw her husband enter the house again. She rushed to his side to take the flowers in her hands. "_Purple_ tulips! My favorite! Thank you, baby!"

Horatio smiled halfheartedly. His mind was still running the many possibilities of why Jackson appeared at their home out of the blue. He usually wasn't the jealous type, but he couldn't help but feel a small pang of envy as he remembered the smile Angel had on her face while she was talking to her so-called high school friend.

"Well now that you've given me a surprise," Angel murmured with a rather mischievous smile as she set the flowers on the kitchen counter, "I think it would only be fair if I gave you a little surprise in return."

Horatio remained silent as his wife wrapped her arms around his waist. She kissed him slowly, gently—just the way he liked it. Yet today, Horatio was so distracted by their unexpected visitor that he didn't enjoy her embrace at all.

Suddenly, Horatio pulled away. "Love, can we do this later?" he said as he wriggled out of her hold.

Angel frowned, completely confused. He never objected to her _surprises_, not once since their relationship began. She wondered what made that day any different.

"…Oh-kay…" she said slowly. "Are you okay?"

"Huh? Oh…yes. Yes…I'm fine. Why would you…?" He paused in mid-sentence, exhaling a breath. "Why would you think something's wrong?"

Angel paused for a moment to study her husband. He seemed rather preoccupied since he came in with the flowers. The pondering look on his face was the biggest tipoff that his thoughts were elsewhere.

"You look distracted," Angel finally said. "Like you're here, but your mind isn't. What are you thinking about, baby?"

Horatio hesitated. He didn't want to tell Angel about his discomfort about her friend, especially after he wondered if he was overreacting. Yet that didn't stop him from wanting to know what Angel was hiding from him.

"Work," the redhead lied. "This case is bothering me…that's all."

"Well, let's talk about it. Is it that double murder you started last week?"

"No…no it isn't. We've nearly solved that one."

"Well, what is it?"

"I don't want to talk about it, Angel," Horatio replied, rather curtly.

Angel's frown remained upon hearing his suddenly annoyed tone. "Are you sure, baby?"

"Yes," said the lieutenant. "Yes, I'm sure. I'm just…I'm tired, Angel. I think I'm going to turn in early tonight."

"Oh…okay," the Caine woman said in a small voice. "Good night baby. I love you."

Horatio didn't respond, though, as he was already down the hall.


	3. 02: Unanswered Questions

Chapter 2: Unanswered Questions

* * *

_**Monday, February 28, 2005**_

Calleigh pulled into her driveway around eight-thirty that night. She wished she could've spent her birthday doing something more than working all day. She knew that the responsible thing was to finish processing evidence and worry about celebrating her birthday later. She ended up doing the responsible thing, despite how much she wanted to skip overtime and go out with Eric and Sabrina for her birthday.

The Duquesne woman grinned as she recalled her birthday last year. Eric took her out to dinner, and though things didn't go as planned, it ended up being the best birthday she ever had. Somehow she figured her birthday this year wouldn't be as eventful as the one the year before.

Calleigh opened the door to her home, just to see the living room empty. The blonde frowned as she flipped on the light. Eric wasn't home? Where could he possibly be? And had he picked up Sabrina? A swarm of questions overwhelmed the ballistics expert, all of which brought a colossal amount of worry with them.

The blonde reached into her purse for her cell phone and pressed _1_ to speed-dial Eric's number. He picked up on the first ring. "Hello?"

"Eric, where are you? I thought you said you'd pick up Sabrina and come home."

"Oh…I'm on my way home. I went to go get our dinner and I got held up in traffic. Why don't you go out to the back porch and we can have dinner outside?"

Calleigh frowned. "Out back? But Eric, it's about eight-thirty and pitch-black outside."

"You can turn on the light," Delko countered.

"Yeah, but it's getting chilly outside."

"Then wear a sweater."

The woman paused. "Why do you want to eat outside so much, anyway?"

"Oh, c'mon, Calleigh," Eric said, "Let's just try something different tonight. Go out back and I'll meet you there in a little bit. Love you, talk to you later."

Before Calleigh could object any further, Delko hung up. The blonde sighed and reluctantly headed for the back porch. The light was already on, she noticed. The moment she opened the door, she was greeted with a loud "_Surprise!_" Calleigh jumped, startled as Eric approached her with Sabrina in his hands.

"Happy birthday, Calleigh," Eric said with a boyish smile.

The blonde couldn't help but laugh as she stepped outside to the screened-in porch. "You got me good," she said, smiling too.

"Yeah, I was hoping you'd take the bait," Delko said as he gave the blonde a peck on the lips.

As she pulled back, Calleigh studied the porch around her. Several multicolored paper lanterns hung from the ceiling, while a few dragon figurines were placed on the patio table. Calleigh also noticed there were some takeout boxes and fortune cookies on the table.

"You went to China Dragon," she verbally observed.

"How'd you know?"

"It's our favorite Chinese restaurant," Calleigh said. "And they're the only place that sells decorations, too."

"Yeah, you're right. I picked Sabrina up from daycare as soon as I left work and headed over to China Dragon. I was hoping you'd come a little earlier than you did, though. I gotta go warm up the food now. Here, hold Sabrina," Eric said. He transferred their daughter into Calleigh's arms. "She misses you, by the way. I'll be back."

As Eric gathered the takeout containers and disappeared inside, Calleigh turned her attention to her daughter. She was growing so fast! It seemed like only yesterday that Calleigh held her for the very first time after giving birth. Now, about five months later, that same little baby could crawl and stand with help. She also looked to be a mirror image of her father, aside from her lighter complexion.

"Mama loves you, Sabrina," Calleigh said softly with a smile. "Mama loves you so much."

Sabrina grinned a toothless grin back, babbling something in baby-gibberish. "…gama…ba…mm…mama!"

Calleigh's eyes widened. "Did you…did you just say your first word?" she near-shrieked in delight. Her question was answered as her little girl repeated "mama" several more times.

_"Eric!"_ Calleigh cried happily. "Eric, come quick!"

Upon hearing his fiancée's frenzied voice, Delko was at the door in a flash. "What's wrong, Calleigh?" he asked, concerned.

Calleigh opened her mouth to speak but stopped when Sabrina repeated her first word once more. The worry melted off of Eric's face, being replaced with an elated grin.

"She said 'mama,'" Eric said in astonishment. "She just said her first word!"

Calleigh giggled as she brushed noses with the little girl. Maybe this birthday would be more eventful that last year's after all.

"You just gave Mama the best birthday present ever," she said blissfully.

* * *

_**Tuesday, March 1, 2005**_

Horatio woke up around 5am the next morning. He slunk out of bed quietly, trying not to disturb Angel. He knew well enough how cranky she could be whenever she woke up early.

The redhead gently closed the door to the master bedroom and walked down the hallway to his home office. His eyes locked onto a stack of letters. There were several bills due, he remembered, some past due. He sighed as he booted up the computer to check his account balance. While he waited for the machine to wake up, he began ripping open envelopes to see what was due. There were a hefty stack of bills, he noticed. He knew for a fact that he didn't even want to think about how much was due for the credit card bill, seeing as he'd charged a majority of his pricey wedding and honeymoon.

Once the computer was awake, Horatio signed into his bank account. He did a double take once he discovered how much was left in his checking. The number was much, _much_ lower than he expected it to be.

"That can't be right…" he murmured to himself. He went to view the online statement, and sure enough, all of the proper charges were there. The redhead glanced back down to the stack of bills and back to the computer screen. The amount he owed was more than what he had in his checking account. Horatio sighed uneasily as he realized he would have to tap into the savings account just to make ends meet.

But what would he do about his soon coming children? The money in the savings account was supposed to be reserved for them. How on Earth was he going to pay the bills _and_ have money left over for his twins? He couldn't possibly ask his pregnant wife to go back to work, he knew, so there was no way he was going to let her know about their current dilemma. That still didn't answer Horatio's question, though. What could he do now?

Horatio shook those worrisome thoughts away. He would be just fine, he reassured himself. He just needed to put in a few more overtime hours at work for the next several weeks. Surely he'd bounce back from this in no time. For now, he figured he'd pay the bills that were absolutely necessary and save the rest until they had more money. He only had a few days left until his next paycheck was to be deposited, anyway.

The lieutenant felt something warm and fuzzy brush against his bare foot. He looked down to see Panda nuzzling her head against his ankle. Horatio smiled and scooped the kitten into his arms. Angel tended to play with the feline whenever she was in a bad mood. As the redhead petted the baby cat, he could clearly understand why. The sound of Panda's purring was rather soothing, and he quickly forgot about their money troubles.

Suddenly, Horatio heard a loud screech sound from down the hallway. That was Angel's scream, he realized. He let the kitten down to the floor and immediately rushed into the master bedroom.

"Angel," Horatio called once he entered the room. "Are you okay?"

"Uh, yeah," the woman replied groggily. "I'm fine. I just had a bad dream. I'll be fine."

"Are you sure, love?"

Angel huffed an uneasy breath. She dropped her head, framing her round face with her hands. Horatio approached the woman and caressed her shoulder with his thumb. She rested her head on his shoulder and sniffled as tears began to fall.

"No…" Angel finally responded. "No, I'm not okay…"

The lieutenant pulled the woman into his arms, stroking her black hair. "What happened, Angel?"

"I…I dreamt that Andrés came after me," she moaned between sobs. "He killed…he killed you to get to me. He's supposed to get out of the hospital soon…what happens if he…?"

Horatio kissed Angel's forehead as her voice fell. "That's not going to happen, sweetheart."

"How do you know for sure?" Angel snapped. "He dressed up as Luke Mason and walked right past you! How do you know he won't do it again?"

"Because now I know he's here, and I'll be ready in case he tries to do anything," Horatio replied calmly. "If it makes you feel any better, I can make some phone calls today to find out when he's going to be released."

Angel sat up straight and sniffled. "Okay. Y-yeah, that'd make me feel better."

The redhead nodded. "I'll do that, then. I don't want you to worry about this anymore, okay?"

Angel smiled weakly. "I'll try."

Silence consumed the two until the woman glanced over at the clock. "Wow, it's still pretty early. Guess that means I can cook you breakfast today."

Horatio smiled. Since he had returned to work, he started going in earlier than usual, often before his wife woke up. He usually didn't have the time to cook his own breakfast, so he simply stopped by a drive-thru restaurant on his way to the lab. Knowing that he'd finally have a homemade breakfast was enough reason to smile.

Angel rolled out of bed and started out the door. She stalled near the vanity mirror and sighed as she gazed over her reflection. Because she couldn't fit into any of her old nightgowns, she started wearing some of Horatio's shirts to bed. Now even _that_ was getting snug, Angel noticed. It was only a matter of time before she wouldn't fit _anything_, not even her baggiest clothes. She placed a hand on her large stomach, mumbling, "Damn, I'm huge."

Horatio strolled up behind her, slipping his hands around her waist. He rested his hands on her stomach. "You're not huge, Angel."

"You're supposed to say that," Angel retorted as she pulled away. "At least _you_ think I'm still attractive. Not that anyone else will. Well…I guess I shouldn't worry about how other men look at me, anyway."

The redhead frowned upon hearing his wife's words. What did she mean by _other men_? He only sighed as he watched the woman leave the room.

* * *

Later that day, Horatio was just getting off his lunch break. He'd used a majority of it to make phone calls about Andrés's release date. He found out that his father-in-law wasn't to be released until the end of that year, possibly even later. Horatio hoped the Lopez man would leave Angel be after that, yet H knew he should prepare himself in case Andrés gave them any more trouble.

Horatio had an assignment out in the field and started for the company Hummer. He had to question a store clerk about some counterfeited money that eventually led to a murder across town once the money was discovered to be fake. As he made his way to the store, he silently realized that his destination was only across the street from _Piccola Italia_, the same restaurant that he took his wife for their first date. Horatio grinned and told himself that he had to take her there again someday soon.

As he pulled up to the store, he noticed a sedan parked across the street that looked identical to Angel's. In fact, as he looked closer, he saw that it had an Usher air freshener hanging from the rear-view mirror. At that point it was obvious that it _was_ Angel's car, and Horatio wondered why his wife decided to go to the restaurant.

His question was answered moments later when he spotted Angel sitting on the outdoor patio…with Jackson Waters. She was wearing a pretty white blouse with matching slacks and stilettos. Horatio realized that was a huge contrast from the sweatpants and t-shirt she was wearing that morning. In fact, that very morning she complained about her feet being swollen and decided she wouldn't wear heels for a while. Why had she decided to dress up? Was it only to see Jackson?

H caught a glimpse of her wide grin and saw that her hand was placed entirely too close to Jackson's on the table. Jackson then took Angel's hand in his, grinning back. Why were they holding hands? And what on earth were they talking about?

The swarm of questions was overwhelming to Horatio, and he found himself rather distracted as he entered the store to question the person of interest. During the entire interrogation, Horatio could barely focus on the routine questions he needed to ask. H realized that he wouldn't be able to do his job properly until he found out what Angel was doing, so he let the store clerk know that he would be in contact soon before excusing himself.

The redhead headed back outside, only to find Angel's car gone. She had already left. Where had she gone? Was she with Jackson? A flood of negative thoughts flooded Horatio's mind. He'd trained himself never to jump to conclusions, but in observing his wife's strange behavior, he couldn't help but think worst-case scenario. Was his wife really cheating on him?

* * *

Horatio pulled into his driveway around eight that evening. Getting by his shift plus a few hours overtime was _agonizing_ when he constantly worried about what his wife was doing all day. He'd given her a call a few hours ago, yet Angel mentioned she was busy cleaning the house. Horatio sensed she was busy doing a lot more than that.

The redhead entered his condo to see Angel lying on the couch. She had changed back into the same pair of sweatpants and baggy t-shirt she wore that morning. The woman smiled up at her husband as he came in the door.

"Hey, baby," Angel said sweetly. "I cooked dinner a little while ago. Since I'm trying to eat a bit healthier, I made grilled chicken and brown rice. We've got baked cinnamon apples for desert…although I ate most of it. Sorry."

Normally Horatio would have laughed at his wife's tone, but today he could barely crack a smile. "Thank you, love." He paused. "What…uh, what did you do today?"

"Mm, nothin' much. I stayed here at the house all day, cleaning up."

Horatio's heart sank upon hearing her lie. Unsure of what else to say, he only murmured, "Oh."

The lieutenant slowly started across the room, heading right past the kitchen and down the hallway. Angel called his name, yet when he didn't stop, she followed him to their room.

"Baby, you're not hungry?" she said as she saw him sit on the bed.

"No…no, I'm not," Horatio said honestly. He didn't tell her that her lying to him was the cause of his lost appetite.

Angel sat next to him, placing her hand on his shoulder. "This is the second night in a row that you skipped dinner. Are you feeling okay?"

Horatio gently pulled away from her. "I'm…fine, Angel."

"No, you're not," Angel said. "You seem _really_ stressed out. Is that case bothering you that much?"

The redhead didn't respond. Instead, he shifted his gaze to the opposite direction of the woman. Angel slipped her arms around him, murmuring, "You need to relax, baby. How about I give you a massage, and—"

Horatio abruptly pulled away from the woman and stood up. "No, Angel. I don't…" The man sighed. "…I don't think that's a good idea."

Angel frowned, saying nothing.

"I just want to go to bed, Angel. That's all I want right now," H said with another sigh. "So…can you just leave me alone?"

The woman paused before saying, "Uh…okay. Good night, sweetheart."


	4. 03: I Made a Huge Mistake…

Author's Note: So I've got good news and bad news. The bad news is my laptop will no longer turn on. It died completely. :(

But the good news is all of my stories were saved in my Dropbox account, so I can still work on them via my mother's laptop. :) And school is out, so I have a lot more time on my hands.

I always enjoy reading your reviews and hearing what you think will happen next. Let me know what you think of this chapter, please and thanks! ;)

* * *

Chapter 3: I Made a Huge Mistake…

* * *

Horatio was startled awake when he heard his wife moan loudly. As he rolled over, he noticed she wasn't lying next to him. Another moan sounded from down the hallway. The redhead frowned as he picked himself up and started down the corridor.

As he passed the window, he caught a glimpse of a familiar red BMW parked in their driveway. Moments later, he heard Angel scream, "Oh yes…_yes! _Mmm, Jackson…_yeees_!"

Horatio's heartbeats accelerated as he sensed what was going on. He sprinted down the hallway, silently hoping his accusation was wrong. But as he made it to the living room, he realized he was right after all. There, on his living room floor, lie his wife and her so-called "high school friend" tangled in a naked heap.

Horatio wanted to scream. He wanted to snatch that gun up from the side table and shoot Jackson in his family jewels right then and there. Yet the redhead found that he could do nothing more but stand there in shock, staring helplessly at the two.

Angel finally noticed her husband standing across the room. To Horatio's dismay, she didn't seem the least bit apologetic.

"Oh, hey, Horatio," she said nonchalantly as she pulled back from the black male. "I was just showing _Jackson _what he's been missing…"

"And damn, I sure missed it," Jackson said with a smug smirk. As he leaned in to kiss the woman, Horatio found his world growing fuzzy. He felt incredibly lightheaded, and within a matter of seconds, he felt himself falling backwards and plummeting down to the floor.

* * *

_**Wednesday, March 2, 2005**_

Horatio jolted awake. His heart raced rapidly, and he had to take several deep breaths to calm himself. He instantly thought of his wife and quickly rolled over, hoping that she was still there. Sure enough, he saw her lying right next to him, sleeping peacefully. Although it was just a dream, Horatio couldn't help but get up and check to see if Jackson's car was in their driveway. Thankfully for him, it wasn't.

The redhead sighed uneasily as he started back down the hallway. He wouldn't be able to rest until he got to the truth, he realized. He told himself that he was going to find out the truth that very day, no matter what it took.

* * *

"Mornin', Cal," Eric said warmly as he saw his fiancée walk into the kitchen that morning.

Calleigh grinned. "Morning, sweetie."

"Mama! Mama!" Sabrina cried from her high chair. She reached up and fussed in baby-talk until her mother picked her up.

"Good morning, Sabrina," Calleigh said sweetly. "Eric, has she eaten anything yet?"

"Not yet," Delko replied. "I was about to feed her when you walked in."

Calleigh nodded and walked to the cupboard with her daughter. "What do you want, Bri? Cheerios or corn flakes?"

Sabrina reached for the Cheerios box, causing Calleigh to smile. "You're just like your father," she murmured.

Eric overheard his fiancée's comment. After gulping down a spoonful of Cheerios, he said, "What'd I do?"

The blonde couldn't help but laugh. "Nothin', Eric."

As she poured Cheerios into a neon-colored plastic bowl, Calleigh said, "We should think about Bri's gonna go for preschool, soon."

Eric grinned. "Soon? How soon? Bri's only four months old."

"This is coming from the same man who wanted to pick out a name before we knew the gender of the baby."

Delko pursed his lips. "Fine. I guess we could send her to Dade Elementary…" The male trailed off when he saw the disapproving face Calleigh made. "What's wrong with Dade Elementary?"

"Nothing…it's just that their test scores aren't the highest in the county."

"Cal, she's gonna be a _preschooler_. She can't even take tests until she gets to be in first grade," Eric said. "'Sides, what does it matter if the scores aren't the highest in the county? It's only an elementary school."

Calleigh only glared at the male. Although she didn't utter a word, the displeased expression on her face said enough.

Eric sighed in defeat. "Okay, never mind. No Dade Elementary. Well…what were you thinking?"

"Highpoint Learning Academy."

"Uh…" Eric began, "I'm not sure about that one. It's a really expensive private school, _and_ it's nowhere near us."

"I'm sure we can get someone to carpool," Calleigh responded. "As for tuition…they have scholarships. Sabrina just needs to take a placement test first."

Delko wasn't entirely comfortable at the thought of his daughter taking a placement test at only three years old. He also knew that he wouldn't be comfortable paying tuition for her to go to an elementary school. He didn't want to vocalize his disapproval for her idea, though, and he only said, "Okay, how about we talk more about this when it gets closer to that time?"

Calleigh nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

* * *

Horatio tapped his computer keyboard at his desk that morning. He'd come in early to do a background check on Jackson Waters in hopes that he could get a better story on who this man was.

He searched the Miami-Dade County database for Jackson Waters, only to find that none of the results were of the man he met a couple days ago. He decided to widen the search to all of Florida. There were over a thousand results, Horatio realized. The redhead sighed as he weighed the options; he could forget about the entire thing and stop worrying about his wife's friend, or he could search through each and every result to see how truthful Angel and Jackson were being. Upon remembering his nightmare from earlier, Horatio decided on the latter.

It took nearly two hours to go through every person, one by one, and it was all to no avail. Not a single result was of Angel's classmate. Horatio knew he was into his shift's time, and he was already pushing it as is. That didn't stop him from searching further, though.

Figuring Jackson's information was still in his former state's database, Horatio changed over to the California State database and refined his results to San Diego County. When no results showed up, he switched to San Francisco County. After about an hour more of searching, he still couldn't find his man.

Horatio was stumped. It was apparent that Jackson Waters wasn't really Jackson Waters at all. If that was the case…who _was_ he?

* * *

Lieutenant Caine ambled up the walkway to his front door early that evening. As that day went on, his mind wandered further and further away from work. He'd started over an hour late due to his growing obsession for finding out the truth about Jackson Waters…or whatever his real name was. And even after he'd given up searching, his thoughts were still running over the issue. Who was this man? What was he doing with Angel at the restaurant? Why had Angel lied about being there?

The redhead fumbled with his keys for a moment before opening the door. The scent of freshly cooked food filled his nose as he entered the condo. It was then that Horatio realized how early he'd returned home—it was barely 5pm. He slunk sluggishly across the room, silently hoping he wouldn't have to interact with his wife until he could gather his thoughts.

To his dismay, Angel spotted him. "Hey, baby," she said with a sweet smile. "You're home early. How was your day?"

Horatio stopped in his tracks, yet maintained eye contact with the floor. "It was fine, Angel," he said softly.

The woman approached him, slipping her arms around his waist. When she planted a kiss on his neck, Horatio didn't react. Angel noticed this and pulled away slowly.

"Baby, I think we need to talk," Angel began.

"About what?" Horatio asked, gazing at her bare feet.

Angel placed her hand underneath her husband's chin and lifted his head to gain eye contact. "About what's going on with you. You're acting really weird, and I'm worried about you."

She had said something else, but Horatio could only focus on her left hand that was placed on her hip. More importantly, he was focused on the one thing missing from her hand.

"Where's your wedding ring?" Horatio asked, truncating whatever statement she was making.

Angel frowned and glanced down to her left hand. "Oh. I took it off when I was cooking the rolls so I wouldn't get dough all over it. I must've forgotten to put it back on."

Horatio heard her explanation, yet he didn't believe her. And somewhere between the lies he'd been told over the past few days and her missing wedding ring, his composure snapped.

"You _forgot_?" he parroted disbelievingly, his voice rising in absolute anger. "You're telling me you just _forgot_ to put your ring back on?!"

Angel's frowned remained. "Uh…yeah…"

"Forgot…_forgot_! Just like you '_forgot'_ where you were yesterday?"

Angel was undeniably confused at this point. "Baby…what are you talking about?"

"You said you were at home all day 'cleaning.'"

"I was," Angel replied.

"You're _lying _to me, Angel!" H screamed. "And you _know _I _hate_ being lied to!"

The woman jumped upon hearing her husband's furious tone. "Baby…I don't—"

"I _saw_ you!" Horatio cut her off. "You were at _Piccola Italia_ with Jackson! You were dressed up in all white and stilettos! I saw you holding his hand! And you lied to me about the whole thing!"

"Wait…" Angel began, "how did you…?"

"I was at a crime scene, Angel! I saw you there with Jackson, and I know you lied to me about being there with him! And I know that 'Jackson Waters' isn't really Jackson Waters at all!"

"How do you know that?"

"I searched, Angel. I searched for him in San Diego County's database, San Francisco County's database, and the _entire _state of Florida's. How do you think I felt when I found out that none of them were the man you introduced me to?"

Angel appeared offended now. "Hold up…you did a _background check_ on him? Like he's a suspect of murder or somethin'?"

"I had to find out the truth somehow, Angel. Y'know…the truth that _you_ never told me."

"Horatio, I _still_ don't understand why you're so upset," Angel said truthfully. "I only lied about going out to lunch."

"No, Angel, you didn't _only lie_ about going to lunch. You lied about who Jackson really is. I bet you didn't even go to high school with him."

The woman paused as a theory hit her. "Please don't tell me you're thinking what I _think _you're thinking…"

"And what is that?"

Angel hesitated vocalizing her thought, yet said it anyhow. "You don't think I'm…_cheating_ on you…do you?"

Horatio folded his arms. "You tell me."

Angel's jaw dropped. She was completely hurt upon hearing her husband's words, and was almost in too much shock to speak.

Finally, she cried, "No! Of course I'm not! I would _never_ do that! How could you even _think_ something like that?! Don't you trust me?!"

Angel reached for her husband once more, yet he pulled out of her hold immediately.

"You haven't done anything to prove that I should," Horatio responded coldly.

The Caine woman remained silent, utterly stupefied. As the second wave of shock wore off, anguish set in immediately. A painful sensation attacked her chest. It felt as if she'd just been shot, and Horatio was gunman who pulled the trigger.

Tears formed in Angel's eyes and immediately spilled down her cheeks. Her whole world felt shattered, and the only one who could help her pick up the pieces was the same man who literally admitted he didn't trust her anymore.

Angel slowly backed away before turning around and running to the master bedroom. She heard her husband call her name and ask where she was going, but she didn't answer. She couldn't answer. She could barely think straight. She quickly snatched up her purse, slipped on a pair of flats, and left out the back door.

* * *

Horatio couldn't even begin to describe how heartbroken he was. In fact, heartbroken wasn't a strong enough word. He was absolutely _devastated_. His wife had lied to him constantly, and now he couldn't bring himself to trust anything that came out of her mouth. One of Horatio's biggest pet peeves was being lied to, which is why he always blew up on suspects who weren't truthful with him. So knowing that the one person who was supposed to be open and honest with him at all times had lied to him was the worst feeling on Earth.

Horatio checked the clock. It was nearly 9pm. Angel had left about four hours ago, and she hadn't given him any sign that she was coming back any time soon.

What was happening? Was their marriage falling apart after only a matter of weeks? Why was Angel lying to him? And why hadn't she explained herself before she left? Horatio had millions of questions, yet not a single answer for any of them.

Finally, he heard the front door creak open. Angel entered the condo and stood before him holding a paper shopping bag.

"I don't know if you're even going to believe anything I say," Angel began in a shaky voice, "but I need to tell you the truth."

Horatio looked up to gain eye contact with Angel and waited for her to begin speaking.

"You were right about two things. That man's name isn't Jackson Waters, and he didn't go to high school with me."

"Then who is he?" Horatio asked softly.

"His name is Rick Jackson, Jr., son of Rick Jackson—the founder of _Jackson's Jewelry_ downtown. I was seeing him as a client to find the perfect birthday present for you. I didn't want to chance you seeing me at the jewelry store, so I arranged to see Rick here. When you came home and saw him, I told him to meet me somewhere else. That's why we were at the restaurant yesterday. And he was holding my hand to look at my wedding ring, since we got our rings from his store."

Angel reached in the bag and held out a shiny Rolex watch. "This is what I decided to get you. I was going to put it on layaway, but when you accused me of cheating, I had to go beg all of my brothers for money to pay for it tonight." She sighed deeply and added, "Happy birthday."

Horatio stared at the watch blankly before dropping his head. He'd jumped to conclusions—just as he told himself he _wouldn't_ do—and now he'd made the biggest mistake in his forty-four years of life.

"Angel…" he began, yet didn't know how to finish. He stood up from the couch and reached to pull Angel in for a hug. "I am _so_ sorry…I'm sorry I didn't believe you."

"So am I," Angel murmured. Horatio pulled away slowly and attempted to kiss his wife on the lips, yet she pulled out of his hold before he could. She looked down to his slacks and said, "Next time…can you just _trust me_?"

The Caine woman turned to walk away before Horatio could respond.


	5. 04: …But You Love Me Anyway

Chapter 4: …But You Love Me Anyway

* * *

_**Thursday, March 3, 2005**_

Horatio stared blankly his brand new Rolex his wife bought for his birthday. He couldn't bring himself to wear it, or even open the box, at that. Every time he thought of what happened, he mentally kicked himself. He actually wanted to _literally_ kick himself. Maybe then he'd feel a bit better for causing his wife so much emotional torment.

The redhead hadn't slept a wink that night. He didn't even go to their bedroom. Instead, he spent the entire night awake on the couch, staring at that goddamned watch. Horatio wasn't even sure if he should keep it. He didn't feel like he deserved it. He wondered if he should return it and use the money to buy Angel a new outfit or something. Maybe that would make her feel better.

He couldn't stop thinking about how messed up the situation was. She'd gone through so much trouble in order to give him a birthday present, and how did he repay her? He accused her of cheating on him _and_ told her she'd lost his trust.

_I'm surprised she didn't slap me,_ Horatio thought silently._ I wish she __**had**__ slapped me. Maybe I should just slap myself._

Horatio was startled out of his self-derogatory thoughts upon hearing a noise sound from down the hallway. He looked up to see Angel slinking down the corridor. She was awake very early, H realized, as it was only a little past 5am.

"Good mor…" Horatio's voice cracked, and he cleared his throat. "Good morning, love."

Angel didn't answer. She walked over to the fridge to grab a wedge of parmesan cheese and turned to leave the kitchen. On her way out, she grabbed a napkin and a paring knife. Horatio knew well enough that she ate excessively when she was upset, which obviously meant that she was still upset with him. The redhead stood up and followed her back to the bedroom.

The woman closed the door right as he made it to the room. He stared at the closed door for a moment, working up courage to open it and face his wife. Inhaling deeply, Horatio knocked on the door before opening it and entering the master bedroom.

"Hey," he said softly. Angel didn't respond. In fact, she acted like he wasn't even there. She looked down to the cheese, picked up the knife, and began cutting small chunks off before popping them into her mouth. Horatio approached the bed and sat next to the woman. He suddenly struck an idea as he looked to the empty bag Angel brought home from the jewelry store.

"Do you want to go shopping? I can take the day off work, and we can spend the entire day…" Horatio trailed off as he saw his wife shake her head slowly. "Okay. Uh. How about, uh…how about a movie? We can go see that new romantic comedy you've been wanting to see."

This time, Angel remained still. She looked down to her leg, which barely touched her husband's. She scooted over to the other side of the bed away from him.

Horatio sighed. "I know you're mad at me. And you have every right to be. But…I'm really, _really_ sorry, sweetheart."

Angel reached over to grab the knife and cheese to shave off more pieces silently. Horatio took note that her hands grew unsteady. As she was trying to cut another piece of cheese, her hand slipped and she ended up nicking her hand. The woman yelped briefly at the pain before dropping the knife.

Horatio leaned over to take his wife's hand in his and survey the damage. Angel immediately yanked away, though, and nearly fell off the bed. The redhead shot up and reached across the bed to snatch her arm up to keep her from falling.

"Let me go!" Angel snapped.

"If I do that, you'll fall," Horatio responded.

"I don't care!" she cried. "Let me go!"

Horatio reeled the woman in by her arm and helped her back onto the bed. Once she was steady again, Horatio released his grip. Angel glanced down to her now-bloody hand.

"That looks pretty bad," H said. "Do you want me to—?"

"Stop it, Horatio," Angel cut him off. "Just…stop it. I really don't want you to do anything but leave me the hell alone."

"Okay," the redhead said in defeat. "I will. Are you at least going to put pressure on that to stop the—?"

"Leave me alone!" the woman screamed.

Horatio sighed uneasily before standing up and leaving the room.

* * *

Lieutenant Caine stared down at his office phone. He came in early to work and had been working for nearly six hours straight, despite the fact that it was a little past noon. Now that it was time for his lunch break, he considered calling his wife to check on how she was doing. That is, if she picked up the phone.

_I have to at least try_, Horatio thought to himself as he picked up the phone. He dialed his home number first. No answer. He then hung up and called her cell phone. Still no answer. _This_ _isn't working. Maybe I should try blocking my number. That way, she won't know it's me who's calling._

It was a rather devious idea, but desperate times called for desperate measures. Horatio decided to wait a while so it wouldn't seem so obvious. About five minutes later, the redhead pressed _*67_ before dialing his wife's cell number once more. There _still_ wasn't an answer. Horatio hung up one last time. He sighed loudly in frustration, squinting his eyes closed and repeatedly banging his head against the wall.

"Just a few more hits and I'd worry about brain damage," a familiar southern-accented voice drawled. Horatio opened his eyes to see his second-in-command standing in the doorway to his office with a broad smile. H silently matched her smile with a much weaker one of his own.

Calleigh's playful grin wore off and a serious, more somber look replaced it. "Horatio, is there something wrong?"

"No," he said automatically.

"Okay…I _know_ something's wrong," the blonde said as she strolled across the room and sat in a chair on the other side of his desk. "I just wanted to know whether or not you were going to tell me what it was."

"Calleigh…" Horatio began. He sighed. "I messed up. I really messed up and now Angel won't speak to me."

"What happened?"

"I noticed Angel was lying to me about being with who she said was a 'high school friend' of hers. You know how I am about being lied to…so I wanted to know the truth. I searched…and this stays between you and me…but I searched for his name through every database of the entire state of Florida, _and_ two counties in California. I even went through each result, one by one."

Calleigh suppressed her shocked look at his uncharacteristically obsessive behavior and nodded. "So I take it none of them showed up as the person you were looking for?"

"No," Horatio said. "After that I gave up. I went home early, hoping I could think of how to ask her the truth. Then I noticed she didn't have her wedding ring on…and I snapped. I accused her of cheating, despite her telling me she would never do that. I even said I couldn't trust her anymore."

"And then?"

"She was upset, naturally. So she left. She came back a few hours later and explained the entire thing to me—the guy she was seeing was a jeweler, and she was picking out my birthday gift."

Calleigh watched Horatio drop his head and give an elongated sigh. The blonde paused before saying, "So she's giving you the silent treatment?"

"Yes. Except for when she yells at me to leave her alone."

"What's the birthday present?"

"A Rolex. I was thinking of returning it and using the money to buy her a gift."

"Don't. That's the _worst_ thing you could do."

Horatio looked up, frowning in confusion. "Why is that?"

"Well think about it—she went through a lot of trouble picking out the perfect gift," Calleigh explained. "If you returned it, it'd only upset her even more."

H nodded. "Okay. But…what _should_ I do?"

"Well for one, stop beating yourself up about it. Sure it was a big mistake, but now you know to think things through before confronting her about anything serious like that again."

"I'll try."

"Next," the female continued, "Wear the watch. All day, every day. It's obviously a sentimental gift, so showing her that you really like it will make things a bit better. And believe me—us women are suckers for sentimental value."

Horatio wanted to smile at her last statement, but he couldn't bring himself to smirk. "…Okay."

"And third, stop apologizing to her. I know you, and I know you've been apologizing nonstop since all this happened. Give her some space, and give it time. She'll start talking to you eventually. You _do_ live in the same house and share the same bed, after all. Besides, Angel appears to be the forgiving type. She'll come around soon."

The redhead silently nodded once more.

"Things will get better, Horatio," Calleigh assured him. She reached across the table to rub his shoulder. "I know they will."

Horatio smiled weakly. "I sure hope you're right."

* * *

Horatio arrived at his condo around nine that night. He'd attempted to distract himself from his problems by working extra overtime hours. In the end it worked out anyway, as he remembered their money shortage.

The redhead didn't realize how exhausted he was until he entered the dark condo. Angel must have been asleep already, he figured. He crept quietly down the hallway, only to hear a whimpering noise. It was then he realized that Angel wasn't asleep at all. No…instead, she was lying on her side in a fetal position, crying uncontrollably.

H felt a wave of guilt overpower him again when he saw his wife, especially since he knew he was the cause of her tears. He was tempted to apologize again. Yet as he remembered Calleigh's words, he decided against it.

Horatio slowly walked to the bed and sat near Angel. He caressed her shoulder, causing her to shoot up immediately and frantically dry her tears. She sniffled and looked down to the Hello Kitty Band-Aid on her hand that she'd cut earlier. The redhead reached up to wipe away a few stray tears that fell, but Angel literally slapped his hand away.

Horatio sighed. He rose from the bed to grab a pair of pajamas and headed for the guest bathroom to change. It was more than obvious that he was going to sleep on the couch that night…if he could sleep at all.

* * *

_**Saturday, March 5, 2005**_

Horatio sighed as he flipped through a scrapbook Angel had made of their wedding and honeymoon. It had been a few days since he'd first upset his wife, and they still weren't speaking to each other. The lieutenant figured remembering the happier times of the first few days of their marriage would keep him from beating himself up again…or at least distract him from doing so for a while.

He ran his fingers over the photo of him and his wife kissing at the ceremony. She looked absolutely beautiful, he thought. She just looked so happy on that day, happier than he'd ever seen her before.

Horatio managed to smile at the silly expressions on his wife's face in a majority of the pictures at the reception. She could be quite a goofball at times, which often balanced out his own serious attitude. He then moved on to the picture of him and his wife cutting the cake. Someone even managed to get a picture of her smearing cake across his face. The redhead found himself chuckling at the memory.

As he continued through the scrapbook, he stopped on a picture of them on the beach in Cancun. He remembered when that picture was taken…it was when they woke up early to watch the sunrise. She looked absolutely beautiful that day, as she did every day. Horatio also remembered how magical that day was, as it honestly was his first time making love on the beach.

"You're wearing the watch," Angel's voice interrupted Horatio's reminiscence. The redhead looked up to see his wife standing beside him.

The Caine man smiled. "Of course. It's an amazing birthday present."

Angel smiled too. She looked to the scrapbook in his hands. "The picture of us at the aquarium is my favorite. You know how I love the sea."

She took a seat on the couch next to him and flipped forwards a few pages. "There. That one is the best picture in the book. Aside from the one of our first kiss as husband and wife."

The lieutenant found himself gazing at his wife rather than the picture she was pointing to. Her hair was swept up into a messy bun. She'd been eating parmesan cheese again, he figured, as he smelled it on her breath. He grinned as he realized how quickly she could eat a one-pound wedge.

"Horatio?" Angel called sweetly, bringing Horatio out of his thoughts again.

"Yes, love?" H responded.

"What are you thinking about?"

Horatio's smile remained. "Just how happy I am to have you."

Angel grinned with him. "I'm happy to have you too, baby."

The redhead leaned close to kiss his wife on the cheek. "You don't know how happy I am to hear that."

* * *

That night, Horatio and Angel were watching TV in their bedroom. H was rather surprised that Angel didn't cuddle next to him like she usually did. Figuring he shouldn't push his luck after recently making up with her, Horatio left the subject alone.

Angel sighed loudly before slipping beneath the covers. The redhead frowned and looked over to his wife. "What's wrong, love?"

"I'm cold. And hungry."

"Do you want me to get you an extra blanket?"

"No, I'm fine. I _do_ want some parmesan cheese, though. Ooh! And some double fudge ice cream."

Horatio chuckled. He didn't want to remind her that ice cream would only make her even colder at the risk of upsetting her gentle hormonal nerves. Instead, he said, "I'll go get that for you, then. I'll be back."

The redhead left for the kitchen to grab what was left of the parmesan wedge out of the fridge and a tub of chocolate ice cream from the freezer. He grabbed a tablespoon on his way out and brought the items to his wife on a tray.

"Thank you baby…oh wait," Angel said as she inspected the ice cream tub. "This isn't double fudge."

Horatio looked down to the ice cream. "Uh, no, it isn't. We don't have double fudge ice cream, so I just got regular chocolate instead."

"Regular chocolate ice cream and double fudge ice cream aren't the same thing," Angel countered.

Horatio remained silent.

"Do you think you can go get some?" the woman asked. "I've got a craving for double fudge."

"But Angel, it's almost eleven o'clock. The only store that is open this late is the Wal-Mart across town."

"So…what's your point?"

The redhead blinked, saying nothing.

Upon his silence, Angel asked, "Are you saying no? Or are you just letting me know it'll be a while?"

Horatio didn't respond at first. He didn't want to risk angering his wife _again_, so he stood up and said, "I'm just letting you know it'll be a while. I'll be back, love."

"Thank you, Horatio," Angel said in a sing-song tone.

Before he made it out the door, however, Angel stopped him; "Oh, can you get some sour cream and onion potato chips, too? The one with ridges. And some guacamole. And bean dip. And salsa con queso. Oh, and some caramel sauce for the ice cream. And some whipped cream. Not the frozen whipped topping, but the real cream that comes in the can. And some Doritos. I don't know why, but those taste really good with ice cream. I think you should get both cool ranch and nacho cheese. I like eating them crushed up together."

Horatio smirked dryly. "Anything _else_?"

Angel thought for a moment. "Yeah, actually. Cabbage and Nutella. That tastes really good together, too. And some mango salsa. I like eating that by itself. But in case I want to eat it with something else, you should probably get some chorizo. I can make some burritos later. And of course we can't make burritos without tortillas. I think this time I want to try sundried tomato and basil tortillas. Oh, and—"

"Uh, Angel," H interrupted. "How about you make me a list before I go?"

Angel smiled as she got up to search for a pen and paper. "Good idea, baby. You'll most likely forget, anyway."

"I would think so, considering you want me to buy the whole damn store…" Horatio mumbled to himself.

Angel turned around upon hearing her husband mutter something incoherently. "What did you say, baby?"

Horatio feigned a grin. "Nothing, love…nothing at all."

* * *

_**Sunday, March 6, 2005**_

It took Horatio over an hour to locate every item on his wife's list. He made it back to the condo half past midnight, and started unloading the many groceries. After he'd brought everything in and put everything up, he went to bring his wife the tub of double fudge ice cream.

"There you are," Angel said with a smile. "I was just about to call you. Did you get the double fudge ice cream?"

Horatio nodded and held up the container. He handed it to her, along with a tablespoon. Angel opened the container and began to eat, but not before saying, "We've just got one problem."

The redhead frowned. "What's that?"

"Well, since you took so long to get back, I ate all the parmesan cheese. Now you've got to go back and get some more."

"I'm not going back to the store, Angel," Horatio said, growing irritated.

"Of course you're not. Not tonight anyway," Angel replied. "You'll go in the morning. But before breakfast, because I want to have some parmesan cheese with my eggs tomorrow for breakfast."

The lieutenant realized that wife was _incredibly_ demanding when she had her cravings. Of course he wasn't going to vocalize this thought to her, so he only forced himself to smile and said, "Okay, love."


	6. 05: Happy Birthday, Horatio

Author's Note: So my laptop was "fixed" for all of three days before it gave me trouble again. I'm back to working on these stories via my smartphone and other people's computers. -_sigh_- Thank God for Dropbox.

Does anyone remember Eric and Horatio's conversation about _Artie's Adult Playground_ on the show? I think it was in season 1. Hehe. That conversation actually is what inspired this chapter.

There's a scene at the end that is **very** suggestive. Nothing _too_ explicit, so it's still rated T.

* * *

Chapter 5: Happy Birthday, Horatio

* * *

_**Thursday, April 7, 2005**_

About a month later, Horatio was just finishing up processing evidence for a case. He told himself he'd take his break soon so he could have enough time to go buy some lunch before the lunch crowd showed up. The last thing he wanted to do on his birthday was get stuck in a traffic jam on his break.

The lieutenant remembered that Angel mentioned something about surprising him that day. He couldn't help but wish that surprise was something sexual. He hadn't made love to his wife since their honeymoon, several long weeks ago. She often complained that she didn't want to be touched, and she barely gave him hugs anymore. He'd gone from one extreme to the next, from having sex every day to not being able to touch her for a month-and-a-half.

As Horatio looked at his watch, he realized he wouldn't have enough time to go buy a lunch after all. He recalled he had a hefty stack of paperwork that needed to be read and signed. There was no way he could risk getting back late when he had so much work to do, so he decided to skip lunch and went straight to his office.

Only a few moments after he sat in his swivel chair, the secretary appeared in his doorway. "Lieutenant Caine, there's someone here to see you."

Horatio looked up to see his wife standing behind his secretary, holding two containers. "Happy birthday, baby," she said with a smile.

The secretary left to leave the two Caines alone in the office. Angel approached her husband and set one of the warm containers on the table. "I made your favorite—eggplant penne. I figured you'd want something special for your birthday, and I wasn't sure whether you'd have the time to go get anything."

Horatio grinned. "Thank you, love. I didn't have enough time to go buy lunch _and_ finish up paperwork, so I was going to skip lunch altogether."

"Well I guess it's a good thing I came, huh?" the woman replied.

The redhead nodded silently.

Angel took a seat in the chair before his desk. She brought out her own container of eggplant penne and said, "So how's your day going so far?"

"Okay," H replied as he looked over some paperwork. He reached for a pen. "Busy, though."

"I can see that," said Angel. She gazed down at his lunch, which still remained untouched. "Do you even have time to eat during your breaks anymore?"

Horatio glanced up from the papers in front of him to watch Angel slurp pasta into her mouth. As he watched the food pass over her full, violet-lipsticked lips, his mind wandered to the times those same lips would travel across his neck, down his bare chest, and lower, down his abdomen, and lower…lower…

The lieutenant literally shook his head to rid that thought from his mind. What he didn't realize, though, was that he snapped back to reality in a near-convulsive manner. The pen he once held flew out of his right hand, skidded across the floor, and rolled behind Angel's chair.

As the woman bent over to reach for the pen he dropped, H couldn't help but admire her rear end. It was larger than he originally remembered it to be—not in a bad way, either. He always appreciated his wife's beauty, but between his recent involuntary celibacy and her now-larger curves, his testosterone raged at the very sight of her butt wriggling before him. As she rose, Horatio could clearly see straight down her lavender, loose fitting blouse. Her chest was larger, too; her bra looked to be _at least _a cup size too small. In fact, it fit so snugly that Horatio was certain that breasts would pop out from beneath it if she breathed too hard.

"Horatio?" Angel called.

The redhead jumped, startled as he abruptly came back to reality…again. He cleared his throat, attempting to play it off. "Yes, love?"

"Are you okay?" she asked, a small frown wrinkling her brow.

"I'm fine," Horatio responded quickly, practically before she could finish vocalizing her question.

Angel studied her husband for a moment. He appeared to be _far _from fine; he seemed incredibly tense, and quite jumpy, too. She would have guessed that his tension was a result of his recent chaotic work schedule…that is, until she dropped her gaze down to a rather large pucker in his slacks. She gave a half-smile, murmuring, "Well _somebody's_ happy to see me."

The woman watched the redhead glance down and chuckle sheepishly. Angel's eyes widened. His arousal wasn't the thing that shocked Angel; no, what left her stunned was the sight of Horatio's face flushing a deep rosy red. He was _blushing_? She had _never_ seen him blush from embarrassment before, not once since she met him. Her grin widened as she realized _she_ had gotten _him_ flustered for the first time in their yearlong relationship.

Horatio looked up upon hearing the sound of a door close. Angel was standing near his now-closed—and locked—office door, staring at him with a mischievous look that he knew oh so well. He also realized that his blinds were already closed, granting his wife and himself full privacy.

Angel approached the male, sliding forwards into his lap. She straddled his hips, pressing her violet-lipsticked lips against his neck. She began to undo his shirt, but H reluctantly took her hands in his to stop her.

"Love, I'm at work," he reminded her.

"So…you rather I stop?" Angel asked in a low, entrancing whisper.

The redhead paused as he gazed down his wife's blouse. Her bra was black, lacy, and sheer. He could clearly see her mocha skin beneath its transparent material. Somewhere between watching her round breasts move rhythmically to her breathing pattern and feeling the warmth of her body against his own, Horatio willingly pushed his professional thought process aside.

Horatio removed his wife's baggy blouse, dropping the article of clothing to the floor. He fingered the lacy edges of her bra, slowly trailing to her back and unhooking it in a single, swift motion. His hands surveyed her bare abdomen gently, and he leaned over her baby-bump to kiss her full, violet lips.

Angel pulled away briefly to unbutton his shirt. As she drew back in, a nagging voice in the back of the lieutenant's head told him to stop, or at least avoid getting fully naked in his office. Yet his inner voice was nowhere to be found once Angel undid his zipper and slipped a hand beneath his slacks, beneath his boxers. Horatio pressed his forehead against hers, grunting as he thrusted his hips upward. At that very moment his logic ceased function and his testosterone took total control.

* * *

"Has anyone seen Horatio?" Speed asked his coworkers as they were getting off break.

"Not recently, no," Calleigh replied. "The last time I saw him he was in his office trying to finish off the stack of paperwork from our cases. It's been so hectic 'round here lately, I'm sure he's backed up for weeks."

"He's probably still there, then," Eric jumped in. "Speed, you 'n me need to go talk to H. He assigned us to his case since we solved that double murder."

"I need to tag along with you guys," the blonde said. "I'm on that case, too."

The CSI trio headed left the break room and started down the corridor for the elevators. Once they were on the first floor, they headed for their supervisor's office.

The first thing that they noticed was that the blinds were closed. That wasn't uncommon; when Horatio was backed up on paperwork, he tended to shut out the rest of the police department's hustle and bustle outside his office. What _was_ uncommon, however, was his closed door. His door was _never_ closed, the CSIs remembered.

Calleigh strolled up to the closed door and knocked twice. "Horatio? It's Calleigh, Eric, and Tim. Are you busy?"

An elongated silence preceded Horatio's response. "Uh…just…just a minute," he finally said.

As the group grew quiet, they heard shuffling on the other side of the door. A woman giggled, followed by a shushing noise. A rapid clacking echoed throughout the office. Suddenly, the door flew open and Angel Caine emerged.

"Hi guys! Bye guys! Happy birthday Horatio! See you later," Angel said rapidly before quickly scurrying for the front desk.

Horatio came to the door moments later. The first thing the CSIs noticed was that there was a large, rather obvious bruise beneath a purple smudge of lipstick on Horatio's neck. Speed and Delko pretended not to see it at all, abruptly glancing down to the floor or at the office window.

"We're, uh…ready, H," Tim said. He suddenly had the urge to burst into laughter and tried his best to suppress it.

"We'll meet you at the Hummer," Delko said, trying to hold his own laughter in as well. And with that, the two younger men fled for the front entrance as quickly and quietly as humanely possible.

Calleigh sighed. As Horatio's second-in-command, she realized she couldn't leave him walking around with a lipstick print on his neck. But telling your boss that his wife left her mark wasn't exactly the _easiest_ thing to explain.

She leaned close to the male, whispering, "You've got something on your neck." She wasn't sure how else to put it, but apparently what she said was good enough as the redhead quickly reached up to rub the purple smudge away.

Horatio cleared his throat. His face flushed a faint shade of scarlet. "I…uh…"

"I'll meet you at the Hummer, H," Calleigh said with a small smile.

The lieutenant only smiled sheepishly as the blonde walked away.

* * *

Eric and Calleigh had gotten off work that evening and were on their way to pick Sabrina up from daycare. Delko couldn't help but laugh as he recalled what happened with Horatio and Angel earlier that day. "Can you believe Angel and Horatio got it on in his office?"

Calleigh glared at the male, although he didn't really notice since he was driving. "Eric, you're such a little kid."

"Hey, I'm just sayin'. Oh, and the dazed look on H's face when he first came out of his office…that was _priceless_. I should've gotten a picture of that."

The blonde pursed her lips. "Stop it,Eric."

Eric looked over to his fiancée when they stopped at a stoplight. "What?"

"You're being childish. You don't even know for sure that they did anything."

Eric laughed. "C'mon, Cal, don't tell me you actually believe they were sitting in a locked room with the blinds closed doing _nothing_."

"They may have just wanted privacy. They could've been talking about something personal."

Delko kept chuckling as he turned his attention back to the road as the light changed. "So if that's the case, how do you explain the purple lipstick and that _**gigantic **_hickey on his neck that wasn't there this morning?"

Calleigh sighed and looked out the passenger window. "How about we try not to think about what our boss was doing on his personal time?"

Eric grinned dryly. "In other words, we're changing the subject and never talking about this again. Okay…what do you want to do for dinner?"

"I was thinking tuna noodle casserole. I'm actually in the mood to cook instead of buying something like we usually do."

Delko's grin turned genuine upon hearing his fiancée's words. "Cool. I'll help out, then."

The blonde smiled too. "I'd like that."

* * *

Horatio arrived at his condo around nine that night. Even though it was his forty-fifth birthday, he'd been stuck with double overtime. He wished he could've spent more time with his wife before it got too late, seeing as she recently went to sleep early.

The redhead entered the front door and noticed the bedroom light was still on. _Good, Angel is still awake_, he thought happily. He made his way across the living room but stopped dead in his tracks when he saw an empty plastic bag on the coffee table. He recognized that bag…it was the same bag that _Artie's Adult Playground_ used for purchases. H grinned when he put two and two together.

"Oh, Mr. Caine…" Angel called seductively from the other room.

Horatio grin remained. "Yes, Mrs. Caine?"

The male heard the clacking of stiletto heels echo down the hallway. Angel appeared on the other side of the room wearing a rather risqué police uniform. She even held a pair of handcuffs.

"That's _Officer_ Caine to you," the woman said with a mischievous smirk. As she grew closer, she said, "I heard you had sex in your office today."

Horatio chuckled, "You heard right, Office Caine."

Angel stood right before her husband. He couldn't help but glance down at her breasts, which were pulled close together due to her dress's tight form. Angel lifted his head to gain eye contact and said,

"That was rather naughty of you…I think I might have to arrest you, Horatio."

Angel wrapped her arms around his waist and drew him in for a passionate kiss. She pulled back and murmured, "You're not concealing a weapon, are you?"

H smirked as he toyed with the collar of his wife's dress. "…Maybe."

"I'm gonna have to frisk you, Mr. Caine. Hands behind your head, _now_."

Horatio obeyed the _officer's_ command and folded his hands behind his head. Angel caressed his cheek, moving her hands down his neck and torso leisurely. His breathing slowed when she made it to his waist.

"Oh, you're packing a weapon, alright," Angel said as she slipped her fingers beneath his belt buckle. She slowly unzipped his slacks and pulled them down to his ankles. "It's a big one, too…a _lethal_ weapon."

Horatio grunted as Angel pressed her full lips below his waist. He reflexively snatched her up by her black hair and pressed her head against his body. Angel drew back, smirking.

"You've just assaulted an officer, Mr. Caine," she murmured as she stood up. "You're under arrest. Hands behind your back."

Horatio immediately reeled her in. He just as he was about to kiss her, Angel leaned close to his ear and whispered, "You're resisting arrest…"

The redhead shuddered a breath as she pulled away. She came behind him, jerking his arms behind his back forcefully and cuffing him. She shoved him backwards, causing him to tumble down to the couch. Angel slid sideways into his lap and literally yanked his shirt open, causing buttons to skid across the living room floor. She kissed his neck roughly, quickly trailing down his torso. When she made it to his waist, she pulled his boxers down and moved her kisses southward.

"Mmm…Angel," he moaned.

Suddenly, Angel drew back. Horatio groaned in protest. He knew she was teasing him. He could only watch as she began to strip before him. His eyes widened as he saw that she was wearing a thong. He'd never seen her wear a thong before…and he _definitely _wasn't complaining. He found himself hoping she'd wear thongs more often.

Once she let her dress flutter to the floor, she hovered over him. Horatio noticed she was right out of kissing range, and because his hands were cuffed behind him, he couldn't pull her closer. The redhead was relieved as he saw her tug off that thong and unhook her bra. Just as he thought she was going to slide on top of him, she pulled away once more.

"Stop teasing me, love," Horatio said breathlessly.

"Aw, but teasing is only half the fun," Angel replied. "At least that's what you tell me every time _you_ tease _me_."

She leaned close once more, still out of reach. Horatio squirmed forwards as an attempt to kiss her chest, but she stood up straight before he could.

"_Damn it_, Angel," he near growled. "I'm serious. Make love to me _now_."

Angel giggled as she straddled his hips and slid on top of him. "Whatever you say, birthday boy."

* * *

A/N (2): Reviews make me happy! And after the the crappy couple of weeks I've had, I could really use the pick-me-up. Review, please?


	7. 06: Family Matters

Author's Note: Well, it's official. CSI: Miami has been cancelled. David Caruso even tweeted a farewell picture. :(

Well now that my favorite show is gone, I most likely will be updating a lot more in this story as well as new CSI: Miami stories. I have a lot of ideas, and I guess now is the time to post them.

But on the bright side, I seriously got followed by Anthony Zuiker's OFFICIAL Twitter! The creator of all the CSIs followed me! –_insert high pitched squealing noises here_- Sorry, I've been fangirling about that since it happened yesterday. I had to tell everyone. :P

_-Ahem-_ Anyway, I really hope you enjoy this chapter! **Review please!**

* * *

Chapter 6: Family Matters

* * *

_**Thursday, April 7, 2005**_

"Have I ever told you that you are the most _amazing_ woman in the world?" Horatio said with a dopey smile.

Angel grinned too. "Yes you have. Multiple times within the past thirty seconds, actually."

"Oh…" the redhead said slowly. "Well…you are."

The Caine woman looked over to her husband upon hearing his ditzy tone. The brainless expression on his face made it appear that his mind vacated his body and traveled to a completely different planet. Hell, completely different _galaxy_. His broad grin led Angel to believe that he was very satisfied with the birthday present she'd just given him.

"Are you anywhere remotely _close_ to Earth right now?" Angel jested.

Horatio blinked. "Huh?"

Angel burst into laughter. "_Wooow_. I never thought you would enjoy being the submissive _this_ much. I should be the dominant in bed more often."

"Yes you should," H replied quickly, causing his wife to giggle even more. "I can honestly say that was the best birthday present I've ever received…_ever_. In my forty-five years of life. Did I mention you're amazing?"

"Yes, baby," Angel said with a chuckle.

She rose from the couch and picked up her dress from the floor to dig into its pocket for the key to the handcuffs. She leaned back over Horatio to unlock the cuffs. Once he was free, Angel sat up straight. She smiled.

"Happy birthday, baby," she said once more. "I love you."

Horatio kissed her lips, murmuring, "I love you too, Angel."

* * *

_**Saturday, April 30, 2005**_

A few weeks later, Horatio was sitting in his living room watching TV early that evening. His wife went to her community college to register for classes, which were to start in about a month. She mentioned she wanted to take five classes during the month-long semester, and possibly six for summer session. Horatio tried to convince her not to overdo it, especially since she was due to have the twins at the end of July. Seeing as finals for summer session fell around the same time, Horatio knew well enough that she would be stressed out. Not to mention he felt that taking eleven classes in a matter of three-and-a-half months was like setting herself up for academic suicide. Horatio hoped that her academic counselor could talk some sense into Angel, because she wouldn't even try to hear him when he expressed his concern on the subject.

"Hey baby, I've got my classes," Angel said as she entered the living room. Horatio jolted in alarm. Angel frowned at the male's anxious reaction. "Oh, baby, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."

The redhead sighed deeply as he placed his hand on his chest. His heartbeats had accelerated upon being startled. Angel's frown remained and she said, "Is your ticker okay?"

It was Horatio's turn to frown. He wondered if Angel was serious until she smirked and said, "I'm _kidding_, Horatio. You may be old, but you're not _that_ old."

H chuckled halfheartedly upon his wife's joke. Although she said she was just kidding, the fact that she mentioned he was old gave him a sense of discomfort mixed with what he realized was insecurity. That was one of the downfalls to having a wife sixteen years younger than him. They had a large generation gap, and sometimes it became very apparent. The fact that Horatio wasn't exactly in-tune to pop culture of the twenty-first century didn't help things.

"When'd, uh…" Horatio began, trying to shake himself out of his self-doubt, "When'd you get back?"

"Just a few minutes ago. I came in the back door," Angel said with a smile. She came over to the couch where Horatio sat and held out her program card. "I got to sign up for five classes in Maymester and six in the summer like I wanted to. I had to sign a waiver to do it, though."

The lieutenant frowned. "You signed up for all those classes anyway?"

"Yeah. My academic advisor told me she didn't think it was a good idea, but I can handle it."

Horatio sighed uneasily. There was no way this would turn out well. He knew he couldn't sit quietly and let his wife stress herself out like this and ruin her academic record, so he tried to think of a way to convince her otherwise.

"Uh, love? Did you forget that you're having the twins soon?"

"Of course not. Gabriel won't let me forget, because he keeps kicking me in the damn ribs." She paused to look down at her stomach. "No offense, lil' man, but that _hurts_."

Angel had clearly missed his point. Horatio thought of a way he could reword his thought without upsetting her. "Don't you think you might be overexerting yourself by taking so many classes? You don't want to stress yourself out, love."

Angel smiled, still not comprehending his point. "Don't worry about it, babe. I've got it all under control. 'Sides if I don't take these classes now, it'll take me longer than two years to graduate."

The Caine woman saw that her husband still looked concerned, and she tried to lighten the mood. "It'll be fine, baby. Don't worry so much—you might give yourself a heart attack, old man."

The redhead only sighed as she walked away. Suddenly, he heard his cell phone ring. As he glanced down at the number, he saw that Danté was calling. He flipped open the phone and answered; "Hello?"

"Hey, H. It's Danté. Are you, uh…are ya' busy?"

Horatio immediately caught on to his brother-in-law's troubled tone. "No, I'm not busy. Is there something wrong?"

"Uh, no…I was just wondering if you wanted to go out and grab a coupl'a beers."

Being the lieutenant CSI that he was, Horatio knew well enough that there _was_ something wrong. Danté obviously wanted to talk with him and needed an excuse to do so. The redhead took the bait and said, "Sure. Just let me know where and when."

"The bar on Fifth Street. And now, since you're not busy."

"Sure. I'll meet you there in about ten minutes."

"'Kay. See ya'."

As they ended the call, Horatio went to tell his wife that he was leaving. He grabbed his keys and headed out the back door.

* * *

Horatio arrived at the bar on Fifth Street around the same time he said he'd be there. He saw his brother-in-law sitting at the bar, staring down at a bowl of pretzels.

The redhead took a seat on the stool next to him. "Hey."

Danté grinned weakly. "Hey, H."

The Lopez man fell silent for a while. The bartender came to take Horatio's order, and he only asked for a glass of water.

"You don't want a beer?" Danté asked.

"No," Horatio responded. "I don't do well with alcohol."

"Oh, okay," Danté said. He caught a glimpse of Horatio's Rolex and said, "Nice watch."

The white male smiled. "Thanks. Angel gave it to me for my birthday."

"Oh yeah, I remember now. So when was your birthday?"

"April 7th."

"Oh, okay. Happy belated birthday."

"Thanks," Horatio repeated.

The men grew silent again. The bartender slid Horatio's water to him, and the redhead nodded a thank you.

Finally, Danté broke the stillness. "You, uh…you're probably wondering why I called you out of the blue to go get drinks, huh?"

"I figured you just wanted to talk to someone."

"Uh…yeah," the black male said, glancing down to the floor. "I _do_ need to talk to someone. I wasn't sure who else to talk to, because I know my other brothers wouldn't really understand where I'm coming from."

Horatio nodded. "What's wrong, Danté?"

Danté sighed deeply before explaining himself. "Well, it's like this. Me 'n Daniella are suppos'ta be havin' a baby soon. So I was thinkin' I was gon' propose to her. I'm not sure if I should, though. I don't want it to be just because she's gon' be my baby mama."

Horatio asked, "Do you love her?"

"Yeah, I do. But I'm still not sure whether I'm ready to make a big commitment like this." Danté sighed before looking up at his in-law again. "How'd you know you wanted to marry Angel?"

Horatio smiled. "Well…it was just this feeling I got. The feeling that only she could give me. I honestly never felt like that before, not even with my first wife."

Danté frowned. "You were divorced?"

The elder man nodded. "I was. It was about five years ago. Our marriage only lasted for a few months…we just weren't compatible to begin with." The redhead paused before switching subjects. "Well with Angel…she made me feel special. I could really see myself with her for the long run, so that's when I knew I wanted to propose to her."

"I _can_ see myself with Dani for the long run," Danté admitted. "But I still don't know whether I should ask her to marry me."

"Give it some time," Horatio suggested. "Think about it some more before you make a decision. You wouldn't want to rush into anything and have it turn out like my first marriage."

The Lopez man smiled. "Thanks, H."

"No problem, Danté."

The men grew silent once more. Danté took a swig of his Corona before saying, "I can't believe I'm about to be a father by the end of this year."

"Me either. Only I'm going to have _two_ babies."

"You better hope both of them turn out like you," Danté said with a smirk. "'Cause if either one of them turn out like Angel when she was a little kid, you'll be ready to off yourself within the first coupl'a years."

Horatio couldn't help but laugh. "She couldn't have been _that_ bad."

"Oh believe me, she _was_. They call it terrible twos, but with Angel it was terrible ones, twos, threes, fours…hell fives and sixes. As soon as she learned to walk, she was running all over the house, pullin' things down and breakin' stuff. Mom and Dad constantly told her to stop, but I guess in her mind, 'no' meant 'go ahead and do it anyway.' She drove all of us crazy." Danté chuckled at the memory. "I still love 'er, though."

The two men continued sharing stories about how things were when they were younger. After a while, Horatio looked down to his watch and noticed how late it was. "Hey, I think I should be going."

"Yeah, me too. I've gotta get things ready for my little-leaguers' game tomorrow," Danté said. "But hey, we should hang out more often. Maybe eventually I can get you to at least take a _sip_ of some alcohol, even if you don't finish it."

Horatio smiled as he stood up. "I'll be seeing you, Danté."

"See ya, H."

* * *

_**Friday, May 6, 2005**_

Angel sighed uneasily as she got ready to head off to school that morning. It was only the fifth day of Maymester, but the Caine woman felt incredibly stressed already. That day she was to take a test in her government and biology classes and she was certain she wasn't ready either one. Not to mention she had a speech presentation to do in her communications class that day, too. Angel felt she was going to secure an A in her remaining two classes, seeing as they were both psychology-related. That wasn't enough to ease her mind in the first three, though.

Another thing that added to her stress was the thought of the argument she had with Horatio a few months ago. Although she'd forgiven him for accusing her of cheating, there was a small part of her that would never be able to let that go. Knowing that the love of her life—the man who was supposed to trust her the most—had briefly lost trust in her was the worst feeling she'd ever experienced. An achy feeling formed in her chest just remembering the sting of his venomous words that day.

The female shook herself from those thoughts and grabbed one of Horatio's T-shirts to wear that day. She groaned as she realized it was nearly too small. She didn't have any comfortable shirts of her own, though, so Horatio's snug shirt would have to do for today. Angel pulled on a pair of sweatpants and searched for some shoes that would fit her swollen feet. She approached the dresser to take her keys, but she stopped when she saw her reflection in the mirror. She gazed over her mismatched outfit and makeupless face. The woman groaned again.

"What's wrong, love?" Horatio's voice entered the room.

"I'm tired, my feet hurt, I've got two tests and a presentation to do today, and I look a _hot_ _mess_," Angel answered with a frustrated sigh.

Horatio said something else, but Angel couldn't focus on his words. She was too distracted by a strange tightness that formed in her stomach. It was very faint at first. Yet as she tried to take a step towards her husband, it grew nearly unbearable. The pain radiated from her lower back down to her pelvis, and it was nearly strong enough to make her collapse. She quickly grabbed hold of the dresser to support herself.

"Angel?" the redhead called.

The woman took a deep breath as the pain suddenly disappeared. She glanced up to her husband and said, "Yeah?"

"Are you okay?"

Angel nodded as she stood up straight. "Yeah. I'm fine…I just was thinking about the tests I have today."

"Maybe you should drop a few classes, Angel. I don't want you to stress yourself out."

"I've got this, baby," Angel replied immediately, although she wasn't exactly sure if her words were true. She took her keys and said, "I've gotta get goin' or else I'ma be late for class. I'll see you later, babe."

Horatio gave his wife a peck on the lips before she left out the back door.

* * *

That afternoon, Horatio got off work early. It was only around four o'clock. He knew Angel's last class didn't end until a bit after six that evening, despite going in at seven in the morning. She was at school all day, and she had tons of homework every night. Horatio hoped she would eventually listen to him and drop a few classes soon.

As he pulled up to the condo, he noticed someone was sitting on his front porch. As he got out and approached the front door, he realized who it was.

"Jasmine," Horatio said to his niece. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to talk to you, Uncle Horatio," the girl answered. Horatio nodded and opened the front door. As the girl followed her uncle into the condo, she began talking. "I don't know if you noticed, but I kinda have a thing for one of your coworkers. Tim Speedle."

Horatio smiled as he remembered his wedding reception a few months ago. He knew well enough that his niece had an infatuation with Speed. It was rather funny now that he thought of it.

"Yes, I noticed," the redhead replied.

"Well, this may sound crazy, but…could you maybe give me his number? I wanna get to know him better. I would go up to the lab and ask him myself, but it might be kinda awkward…"

Horatio suppressed a laugh at his niece's comment. By the look on her face, Jasmine was dead-serious about wanting to ask Speed on a date. The lieutenant quickly thought of a way to gently turn her down, because he knew well enough Speed wouldn't think twice about her.

"Well I would," Horatio began, "but there's just one problem. Tim already has a girlfriend, so I don't think giving his number out would be such a good idea."

"…Oh," Jasmine sighed uneasily. She looked absolutely crushed, and Horatio felt bad for not giving Speed's number out, even if he knew she didn't have a chance at landing a date with him.

Trying to think of a way to cheer his niece up, Horatio decided to change the subject. "How's school?"

"Pretty good," Jasmine said. "Senior activity week is coming up next week. Too bad I can't go to prom."

"Why can't you?"

"'Cause the ticket costs almost a hundred bucks and I don't have money for a dress. Daddy said he'll pay for one or the other, but not both. And even if I _could_ find a way to get the ticket and a dress, I wouldn't have a date. My boyfriend dumped me a few months ago, and none of the guys at my school want to go out with me," Jasmine mumbled. "I'm hopeless."

"You're not hopeless, Jasmine," Horatio assured. "You're a beautiful young lady."

The teen smiled dryly. "Thanks, but I think you're just sayin' that because you're my uncle."

"I said it because it's true, Jasmine. One day you're going to make some man very happy."

Jasmine grinned for real this time. "No wonder Auntie Angel loves you so much. You're awesome."

Horatio only chuckled.

Jas sighed. "Well I could just go with one of my friends and have my daddy pay for the ticket, but how am I gonna get money for a dress?"

"Well, I could take care of the dress."

The teen's eyes lit up immediately. "You'd do that?"

"Of course," Horatio said with a smile. "I'll give Angel the money and you two can go shopping together for a dress this weekend."

"You are the _best_ uncle in the world," Jasmine said with an elated smile. "But don't tell my other uncles I said that."

The redhead chuckled again. "My lips are sealed."

Jasmine leaned over to kiss her uncle on the cheek. "Thanks, Uncle Horatio."

"It's no problem, Jasmine."


	8. 07: Secrets

A/N: If you remember in one of the author's notes in Not Your Average Angel, I mentioned I'd post some companion pieces to the first story in this series. Well thanks to NashMarquez (yes I'm mentioning you again, Nash!) I posted the first one. For those of you who haven't read it already, it's called "The Lioness" and is the (M-rated) scene between Horatio and Angel that I skipped over in chapter 17, Problems.

Anyway, don't forget to review and let me know how I did on this chapter! (:

* * *

Chapter 7: Secrets

* * *

_**Sunday, May 8, 2005**_

Angel sighed as she attempted to study that Sunday morning. She had a test in her Human Growth and Development class the next day, and she couldn't focus at all. Part of her was starting to regret taking five classes in only a single month's time. The pressure was tremendous, and although she was passing every class thus far, she was _beyond_ stressed.

Suddenly, that strange pain she felt a couple days ago struck her again. It began in her back and quickly ricocheted to her stomach and pelvis. Angel moaned at the pain and doubled over in her seat. It felt like something was twisting and constricting inside her stomach.

As the pain dulled away, the woman sighed in relief. She knew something was wrong, but she was honestly scared to know what that something was.

Knowing she wouldn't be able to focus until she discovered the truth, Angel decided to go search some of the symptoms she was having. She went into the office and woke up the computer. Once it was up and running, she did a Google search for the pain in her lower abdomen in pregnancy. Her heart dropped when she saw what the majority of the results were related to.

"Contractions?" she murmured to herself. "Can I even have contractions this early…? I'm barely six months…"

"Love, are you still going out with Jasmine this afternoon?" Horatio asked as he came into the room. Angel jumped and immediately closed the window on her desktop.

"Huh? Uh, er…um, I mean…" Angel stammered. "Yeah. I'm goin'."

The lieutenant nodded. "Okay, I might tag along with you two."

Angel winced as pain attacked her body once more. _Another contraction?_ Angel thought in silent fear. _It's only been about twenty minutes since I had the last one…_

Horatio frowned. "Is there something wrong, love?"

Angel bit her lip, trying not to concentrate on the pain. This contraction went away quicker than the last one, and she nodded her head in hopes that her husband wouldn't suspect anything. He didn't; he simply turned around and left the room.

The Caine woman sighed in relief as her husband disappeared. She wondered what she could possibly do about these contractions. If she told Horatio, he would tell her to drop some classes. Since she was determined to graduate with her Associate's degree within the next year, telling her husband was automatically out of the question.

_I can do this, _Angel thought silently. _Things will be just fine._

* * *

"Sabrina, come back here!" Calleigh cried as she ran after her daughter that afternoon. It was her very first Mother's Day, and she spent the entire day with her family. They had just gotten back from Sunday Mass service, and Calleigh had been instructed by her fiancé to stay out of the kitchen while he cooked her lunch. The blonde mother decided to play with her daughter in the living room while she waited. But ever since the seven-month-old learned to crawl, she'd quickly scurried away as soon as she'd been let down on the floor.

Calleigh scooped the baby into her arms once Sabrina had stopped crawling. "Running after you is a workout, Bri," she said to her daughter.

The little girl gave a two-toothed grin in response. She reached up to tug on Calleigh's silver hoop earring.

"Ow, ow, ow, _OW_!" the woman moaned as she pried her daughter's fingers from her earring. Calleigh set Sabrina down in her playpen and gave her a rattle to play with. "There. You shouldn't cause much trouble now."

The blonde headed back to the couch. Just as she sat down, Eric popped his head into the living room and said, "Lunch is ready."

Calleigh groaned in protest. "You have _horrible_ timing, Eric."

Delko frowned. "I'm…_sorry?_ What'd I do?"

The woman laughed a little as she stood back up. "Nothin'. Bri's just givin' me a hard time today, that's all."

Eric chuckled with her. He went to pick up the baby and said, "Why are you giving Mommy such a hard time? It's her very first Mother's Day. Don't you know you're supposed to save those antics for her _second_ Mother's Day?"

Calleigh broke into laughter at her fiancé's words. The three entered the dining area, and the blonde grinned when she saw the lunch Delko prepared for her.

"Shrimp and grits?" she said.

"Yeah. It's your mother's recipe, actually."

Calleigh frowned in confusion. "But how'd you get it? She didn't even give it to _me_. She said she wouldn't until I got married."

"I have my ways…" Eric said with a smirk. He gestured to a seat. The woman sat slowly, still staring at her fiancé. "What?" he asked.

"What'd you do?"

Delko's smile remained. "I mentioned it was a special occasion, and she agreed that since it was your first Mother's Day, she'd give me the recipe a few months early."

Calleigh grinned too. "I don't know how your charm worked on my mother."

Eric shrugged. "Well it worked on _you_, didn't it?"

The blonde rolled her eyes playfully, "Whatever, Eric."

* * *

Later that day, Horatio and Angel roamed the shopping plaza downtown with their niece. Horatio realized that Jasmine was nearly more indecisive than his wife—which he didn't even know was possible. He'd lost count of how many times they'd visited _Forever 21_ within the past few hours, only to come out empty handed each time. He suppressed a groan in protest as they entered the store once more.

"Ooh, Auntie Angel!" Jasmine cried as she rushed over to grab a pair of glittery high heeled shoes. "What do you think about these?"

Angel grimaced. "Ew…_no_."

Jasmine sighed she set the shoes back down. "Who asked you, anyway?"

"_You_ just did, little girl," Angel promptly retorted.

The teen folded her arms and rolled her eyes theatrically. "Shut up. I don't like you."

Horatio chuckled as the younger female stomped over to another area of the store to find something that would please her picky aunt. Angel rolled her eyes too, yet for a different reason. Pain attacked her body again, and she bit her lip to suppress an agonized moan. Once it was gone, she inhaled deeply to catch her breath. Neither Horatio nor Jasmine noticed Angel's apparent contraction.

Angel tried to keep up with her niece, but Jasmine was too energetic to follow each move. The woman managed to catch up with her husband, locked arms with him, and rested her weight on him.

"Are you okay, sweetheart?" Horatio asked.

"Yeah…" Angel replied, though she knew she didn't really mean it. "I'm just tired. Can we slow down?"

The redhead nodded. He called his niece's name and told her to slow down a bit. Jasmine obeyed—to a point—and walked somewhat slower as she went to try on some dresses.

Horatio led Angel to a nearby bench and sat down with her. The woman rested her head on her husband's shoulder. As they were waiting for Jasmine to come out, Horatio spoke to his wife.

"How are you feeling, love?"

"I'm okay," Angel murmured, snuggling close to him. "I'm hungry, though."

"Of course you are," the redhead said softly to himself, smiling slightly. Louder, he said, "How about we go to a late lunch after we finish shopping? Say…Subway sandwiches?"

Angel nodded. "That sounds good. But I'm so hungry I think I could eat a foot-long by myself…and then some." She sighed. "I'm gonna be so fat by the time I have the babies. Well…fatter than I already am, anyway."

"You're not fat, Angel," Horatio reassured.

Before Angel could respond, Jasmine came out in a dress. "What do you think?" she asked. "Be honest."

The Caine couple saw their niece dressed in a short, strapless v-neck mini-dress. The first thing Horatio noticed was that it looked was entirely _too_ revealing. The last thing H wanted to do was buy Jasmine a risqué dress and have to face someone as short-tempered as Chris once he saw the dress.

Apparently Horatio wasn't the only one who thought the dress was skimpy. "You look like a goddamned call girl," Angel blurted immediately.

Jasmine pursed her lips. "You could've just said you didn't like it."

"You wanted me to be honest, and I was," Angel retorted. "You're dressed like you're suppos'ta to be dancin' on a pole or workin' the streets. And I can promise you if you ever do either or, I will hunt you down and kill yo' lil' scrawny ass myself."

Jasmine rolled her eyes. "Uncle Horatio, I don't look like a hooker, do I?"

The redhead paused as he thought of a nice way to word his thought. "I think you should try on another dress."

The teen sighed in defeat and went to try on another dress. Several dresses later, Jasmine found one that she and her aunt agreed on. However, Horatio wasn't in much agreement once he saw the price.

"Are you sure this is the dress you want?" Horatio asked as he slowly made his way to the front desk.

"Yes, Uncle H, it's _perfect_," Jasmine replied.

"Yeah, it is pretty nice," Angel added.

Horatio sighed as he reluctantly brought out his credit card. If he vocalized their money troubles now, it would most definitely upset Angel, especially since he'd been hiding it from her for a few months. The dress was nearly two-hundred dollars, though. That was about two-hundred dollars that could've gone towards some of the bills that he'd been putting off. In the end, Horatio ended up buying the dress anyway and made a mental note to put in extra overtime hours—that is, more than he already did.

"You know what?" Jasmine said as they were exiting the clothing store, "I want a champagne party. Ooh and it'd be really cool if I could get a limo, too."

"I could take care of the champagne party," Angel said. "But you gon' hafta ask your daddy about the limo."

Jasmine looked skeptic. "Oh _hell_ no…_you're_ gonna plan my party? But Auntie, the last time you planned a party for me, you ended up cussin' Daddy out for not bringing me on time. Not to mention you had a panic attack and almost passed out hyperventilating."

Angel pursed her lips. "I don't gotta do a damn thing if you don't want my help."

"Okay, okay, sorry. Thank you, Auntie Angel," Jasmine said with a small smile. "I think I can get Daddy to rent a limo for a few hours. Either that or I can bum a ride off one of my girls." The girl paused. "So can I have _real_ champagne at my party?"

"Nope," Angel promptly responded. "You can have _real_ sparkling apple cider, though."

The teen pouted immediately. She started to ask Horatio, but before she could open her mouth, Angel said, "Don't even ask him. He doesn't drink, so his answer is going to be no."

Jasmine folded her arms. "I can already tell you gon' be a mean momma. I feel bad for your kids."

Angel rolled her eyes. "Whatever, little girl."

* * *

_**Saturday, May 14, 2005**_

The following Saturday, Angel was putting the final touches on Jasmine's champagne party. Angel wasn't exactly sure why she agreed to throw a bash for her niece around the same time that she was supposed to be preparing for Maymester final exams, which were less than two weeks away. Not to mention she had a couple tests the following Monday, _and _she still had occasional premature contractions throughout each day.

The Caine woman shook herself from those thoughts and tried to focus on making it through the champagne party. She walked through Chris's backyard, smoothing the tablecloth on the one of the foldable tables for the umpteenth time. She had finished preparing the hors d'oeuvres over an hour ago and was waiting impatiently for Horatio and Chris to make it back with the decorations. She looked to her watch, which read 5:30. There was only half an hour until the party was to start and she didn't have the decorations out yet. The female huffed an irritable breath and whipped out her phone to call her husband.

"We're coming Angel," Horatio said as soon as he picked up. "It'll be just a little while longer, sweetheart."

"She's callin' you _again_?" Angel heard Chris say in the background. "Ain't this like the sixth time in the past thirty minutes?"

"Just about," Horatio replied softly, apparently thinking that Angel couldn't hear him.

"Tell her crazy ass to calm down," Chris said. "We can't get nothin' done if she keeps callin' every five minutes."

"Put me on speaker," Angel said to her husband demandingly.

"Sweetheart, we're—"

"_Horatio Rowan Caine_…put me on speaker. _Now_," the female growled.

Angel heard the redhead sigh before fumbling with the phone a bit. "Okay," he said, "You're on speaker."

"Chris, call me crazy one mo' goddamned time! Just one mo' time! I _dare _you! Yo' ass was suppos'ta been here 'bout thirty minutes ago, and you got the nerve to call _me_ crazy!"

"Angel calm down," Chris said. "We're on our way back from Fountainebleau right now."

"_Fountainebleau_?" Angel parroted in outrage. "What the hell are y'all doin' there? You were supposed to go down the street to get the decorations!"

"Yeah, we know. But the craft store down the street didn't have those artificial baby's breath flowers that you were looking for."

"Then why didn't you go to Miami Beach? Or Coral Gables? Fountainebleau is over ten miles away! You'll _never_ get back here in time for me to finish!"

"Love, it wasn't our fault," Horatio jumped back in. "We tried Miami Beach and Coral Gables, but neither of them had what you were looking for. In the craft store in Coral Gables they told us that the only place that had that exact kind of flower was over in Fountainebleau. That's why we're here."

Angel groaned loudly in frustration. "Well what the hell am I supposed to do now? Y'all not gon' get back until like six, and the damn party is supposed to _start_ at six! How the hell do y'all expect me to decorate everything with no time left?"

"Sweetheart, you need to calm down," Horatio said soothingly.

"Yeah, Ang, chill out. We're halfway there, so we should be there in like fifteen minutes. Twenty tops. You got all the other stuff ready, right? Those cheese cubes and little sausage thingies?"

"Everything is ready, Chris," Angel replied. "Everything 'cept the goddamned decorations."

"We'll be there as soon as we can, love," the lieutenant said to his wife. "We'll see you soon."

Angel only huffed another aggravated sigh and snapped the phone shut without saying goodbye. The female figured she could at least try and calm down by helping her niece get dressed while she waited on the decorations to arrive.

The Caine woman went inside the Lopez residence and started down the hallway towards Jasmine's room. The teen's door was open and she was lying on her bed in her robe talking on her cell phone.

"You're kidding, right? The after party is until when?" Jasmine said. Angel watched the teen grin. "Hell yeah I'm comin'! I just need to think of somethin' to tell my daddy so he won't think I'm there gettin' drunk or some shit…"

"Jasmine," Angel said, causing the teen to jump in alarm.

"Uh, lemme call you back, Shanna," Jasmine said quickly before hanging up. She smiled sweetly at her aunt. "Hi Auntie Angel…uh, how long have you been standin' there…?"

"Long enough to know that you goin' to an after party with alcohol," Angel replied.

The teen's sweet grin fell and a frown replaced it. "You not gon' tell Daddy, are you?"

"No, I'm not," Angel responded. "Because you're not going."

"Wait, what? Why?"

"Jasmine, I went to prom, remember? I know what happens at those after parties," Angel said. "I don't want my little niece ending up drunk, high, pregnant…or a combination of the three."

"I ain't a little girl, Auntie," Jasmine retorted. "I'm gon' be eighteen in four days."

Angel sighed. "I can't stop you from going, Jas. But if you go, just don't do nothin' stupid."

Jasmine nodded. "I won't. So…you're not tellin' Daddy, are you?"

"No, Jas, I'm not. But if I see yo' ass on the news for doin' somethin' stupid, I _promise_ you I will break yo' scrawny lil' neck."

The teen laughed. "I won't do nothin' stupid, Auntie. I promise."

Angel looked to Jasmine's closet. "So where's the dress? The party is supposed to start in about twenty minutes and you're not ready yet?"

"Oh yeah…sorry. I was about to get ready when Shanna called. She started off askin' who I was gon' take to prom."

"You're goin' with that little boy on the basketball team, right?"

Jasmine pursed her lips. "He's eighteen, Auntie. Plus he's got a job _and _a car."

"That just makes him a little boy with money and a car," Angel retorted.

Jasmine rolled her eyes playfully. "Whatever, Auntie. I'm just glad he called me and asked me to prom this a few days ago. His name is Jamal Hicks…and _damn_ he is _so_ fine."

"I'll be the judge of that," Angel said with a smile. "He's comin' to the party, right?"

"Yeah," Jasmine replied. "He's supposed to be here soon."

"Then you need to hurry up and get dressed, little girl. C'mon, I'll help you."

* * *

About fifteen minutes later, Angel had finally finished preparing for the party. She finished just in time, for the other Lopez brothers and Jasmine's date arrived right after she put the last flower into place.

Horatio approached his wife, wrapping his arm around her waist. "I told you everything would work out fine," he said softly.

"Yeah, you did," Angel murmured as she leaned close to kiss her husband. "Did you bring the camera?"

The redhead nodded and pulled their digital camera from his pocket. He pulled away to snap a few pictures of Jasmine and her date. Jamal's hand not-so-accidently slipped from Jasmine's waist to her rear end. The moment it happened, Chris was standing before the two.

"You must not want that hand," Chris said in a low voice.

Jamal frowned, moving his hand back to his date's waist. "My bad," he said.

"Yo' bad _nothin'_," Chris continued. "Let's get somethin' straight. You so much as _look_ at my daughter's ass, and I _promise_ you I'll bash yo' goddamned face in. And you see the redhead over there?" Chris paused to point to Horatio. "He's Jasmine's uncle, _and_ he's a cop. Don't think I won't have him shoot yo' ass."

"Damn, Daddy! Why you trippin'!" Jasmine exclaimed.

Horatio stifled a laugh as he started towards his wife. Angel, however, didn't try to conceal her laughter at all. She was in a full-fledged giggle fit by the time Horatio was at her side.

"I take it this is a usual occurrence with Jasmine's dates?" Horatio said, letting out a soft chuckle.

"Well actually, no. Chris is usually _much_ more violent than this. Jas's last boyfriend got smacked upside the head every time Chris caught him checking Jasmine out. Not to mention Chris told him _in detail _how he'd kill the poor child and hide his body if he ever got Jasmine pregnant," Angel managed to get out between giggles. "And to think in about fourteen years you'll be the same way with Seraphina."

"No I won't," Horatio replied.

Angel gave her husband a skeptic look. "Oh c'mon, you're telling me that you won't go psycho on little Sera's dates?"

"I never said that. I just meant that she's not dating when she's fourteen."

"Well when _is_ she allowed to date?"

Horatio pondered for a moment. "I'm not sure. Forty, maybe?"

Angel swatted her husband's shoulder. "You're horrible. You not gon' do my baby girl like that."

"Okay, okay. Maybe she can date at around her sixteenth birthday. That'll give me enough time to buy a sniper rifle…just in case."

Angel rolled her eyes. "I don't know what to do with you, Horatio."

The redhead only smirked in response.


	9. 08: The Secret is Out

Author's Note: It's not even officially hurricane season yet, and a tropical storm has already formed off the coast of my state. -sigh- I hate storms. - _ -

Fortunately for me, the storm turned east and is heading back into the ocean. Let's just hope it stays that way. -crosses fingers-

Anyway…read and review, please and thanks!

* * *

Chapter 8: The Secret Is Out

* * *

_**Friday, May 20, 2005**_

Horatio was on his way home that Friday evening. He figured he'd make dinner that day to give his wife a little break. She seemed quite stressed lately, whether she admitted it or not.

The redhead felt his cell phone buzz while he was on the freeway. He pressed the answer button on his Bluetooth and said, "Hello?"

"Uh…Uncle H?" Jasmine answered. Horatio detected her troubled tone right away. "Can I come over today?"

"Sure, Jasmine," Horatio replied. "But Angel isn't supposed to be home for a while."

"That's okay…uh, I-I just want to talk to you."

The redhead paused as he noted how shaky his niece's voice was. "Jasmine, what's wrong?"

"I…I can't tell you yet."

"Okay, Jasmine. Where are you?"

Horatio heard her sniffling. She was crying. "I'm at home…"

"Okay, sweetheart. I'm going to come and pick you up. Are your parents home with you?"

"My mom is…but my dad isn't."

The lieutenant took the next exit and rerouted his path to Chris's house. "Alright, here's what we're going to do. You tell your mother that I will be coming to take you to dinner, and I should be there in about ten minutes."

"O-okay, Uncle H."

Once the uncle and niece hung up, Horatio made his way across town to the Lopezes' Residence. He ended up taking a bit longer than ten minutes because of traffic. When he got there he saw Jasmine sitting outside on the front porch.

"Hi, sweetheart," Horatio greeted the teen. "Are you ready to go?"

Jasmine nodded silently and picked herself up from the doorstep. She maintained eye contact with the ground as Horatio ushered her to his car. Once they were inside, the redhead looked to his niece.

"What's wrong, Jasmine?"

The girl couldn't hold in her tears any longer. Several sobs attacked her body as she blubbered, "I really messed up…I made a _huge _mistake and now my parents are gonna kill me if they find out…"

Horatio placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "What happened, sweetheart?"

Jasmine looked up to her uncle and said, "I think I'm pregnant…"

Horatio paused as he watched his niece sob uncontrollably beside him in the passenger seat. His niece was possibly pregnant? He'd never been put in a situation like this before, so he wasn't exactly sure how he should react. After shaking off the shock, Horatio rubbed her shoulder gently, saying, "It's gonna be okay, sweetheart."

"What's gonna happen?" Jasmine cried. "If I'm pregnant, my daddy's gonna kick me out for sure! He's already talkin' 'bout I need to get out the house and get a job…what is he gonna do if I'm having a baby?"

"Jasmine, I need you to calm down," Horatio said as he gently squeezed her shoulder. He coached the girl to take deep breaths and calm down. Once she was a bit calmer, the redhead said, "Have you taken a pregnancy test yet?"

"No," Jasmine replied. "But my period was supposed to come this past week, but it never did. And I'm _never_ late."

"Okay, here's what we're gonna do," Horatio said as he formulated a plan. "We're going to a drugstore down in Coral Gables so no one will see us, and I'm going to buy you a pregnancy test. Once you get the results, we'll take it from there, okay?"

Jasmine nodded. "Okay."

The two buckled up and Horatio pulled off the curb. As they were headed southbound for Coral Gables, Jasmine started talking; "I can't believe I was so stupid. I knew I wasn't supposed to go in that hotel room with Jamal for the after party…and Auntie Angel told me not to do nothin' stupid. But it ain't my fault! That boy is _so _fine _and_ one of the starters of the basketball team…I told myself I'd stop before things got out of control, especially when he said he didn't have a condom…" she trailed off and glanced over to Horatio. "You think I'm really irresponsible now, don't you?"

"It wasn't the smartest decision in the world, I'll admit," Horatio said. "But I understand things can get out of control when you're in the moment. I've made some stupid decisions, too."

Jasmine scoffed. "Yeah, right. There's no way you could've done anything as stupid as I did."

The redhead smiled. "Believe me, I have."

Now curious, Jasmine asked, "Like what?"

"When I was high school, I was trying to impress my girlfriend at the time by taking her out by the beach one night. It was the area that was known as lover's lane, if you know what I mean."

Jasmine snickered at his words, "Yeah, I know what you mean. So what happened?"

"Well, she failed to mention that her father was a police officer who patrolled that area every night. We were half-dressed when he did his rounds…I don't think I need to explain how that ended."

The teen broke into laughter. "_Wooow_, Uncle H. Did he shoot you?"

"Fortunately for me, he didn't have his gun on him. He did rough me up a bit, though," Horatio replied. He chuckled at the memory. "And I can assure you that it was our _last_ date."

Jasmine shook her head, still laughing. "I would think so. Wow. I can't believe you did something dumb like that. You don't look like you're even capable of doing _anything_ stupid."

The redhead smiled dryly as he remembered the most recent mistake he'd made—the incident of Angel's _cheating_. "You'd be surprised, Jasmine," he said.

The two rode in silence until they reached the CVS Pharmacy in Coral Gables. Jasmine smiled a little as her uncle opened her door and the two went inside.

Jasmine sighed uneasily as they made it to the family planning aisle. She started to reach for a pregnancy test, yet she froze as she caught a glimpse of a familiar face pass by.

"What's wrong?" Horatio asked upon seeing the teen's horrified expression.

Jasmine drew back from the pregnancy tests and went to shield herself behind her uncle. "Uncle Danté's girlfriend is here," she murmured.

Horatio looked up and sure enough, Daniella Singleton was standing a few aisles over. The redhead mentally kicked himself for forgetting that Daniella lived in Coral Gables. He instantly racked his brain for a plan to keep his niece's predicament a secret.

"Go to the feminine products aisle and get something," Horatio finally said as he handed her the handcart. "We can hide the pregnancy test underneath it."

Jasmine nodded and started for another aisle. It was just in time, for Daniella spotted Horatio right after Jasmine left.

"Hi, Horatio," Daniella said with a smile and a small wave from afar. She approached the redhead, saying, "What brings you all the way down here? Don't you live in Miami?"

"I was on my way taking Jasmine to dinner when she said she had to make a quick run to the pharmacy," Horatio lied immediately and changed the subject. "How far along are you now?

Daniella looked down to her small baby bump and grinned. "Only about four months. My first ultrasound is soon…Danté's really nervous. It's actually kind of funny."

"Hi, Daniella," Jasmine said coolly as she approached the two adults. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm just picking up some things for my date night tonight. Danté's coming over and we're watching action movies all night. I only live right down the street, so I walked here." She paused to check the time on her cell phone. "Oh I need to hurry up and get out of here. Danté's supposed to get to my place in about an hour. I'll see you two later."

Horatio nodded a goodbye as Daniella walked away. Jasmine breathed a sigh of relief as her uncle's girlfriend left her presence.

"That was close," Jasmine said softly. "Thanks for covering for me, Uncle H."

Horatio smiled and handed the girl a pregnancy test. The two ambled towards the front checkout without running into Daniella again. After paying for two packages of tampons and the pregnancy test, Horatio and Jasmine left the pharmacy.

"You really didn't have to buy me the tampons too, Uncle H," Jasmine said.

"Let's just hope that you'll be using them soon," Horatio replied as he opened his niece's door. Jasmine smiled as she climbed into her uncle's Cadillac. After Horatio got in and the two buckled up, the redhead started the drive for his condo.

* * *

After Horatio and Jasmine made it to his condo, Jasmine immediately went to take the pregnancy test. Horatio waited in the living room while wondering what he'd do if his niece's test came back positive. He knew Chris wouldn't be the least bit happy, and most likely she'd end up grounded. Yet that would be the very least of her problems. How could she care for a baby when she couldn't even take care of herself? Horatio was quite worried about his niece and hopeful that the test would come back negative.

As if on cue, Jasmine emerged from the guest bathroom with a grin on her face. "It's negative," she said with a huge sigh of relief.

Horatio gave a relieved sigh of his own. "Good," he said.

The two grew silent until Jasmine asked, "You're not gonna tell my daddy about this, are you?"

"No," Horatio said honestly with a shake of the head. "You're an adult now. But with age comes responsibility… I don't want to lecture you. But next time remember to use protection."

Jasmine nodded. "You don't have to tell me twice, Uncle H. And thank you for everything. I owe you big time." She leaned in to hug her uncle. "I love you."

"I love you too, Jasmine," Horatio replied, smiling warmly as he pulled away. "How about you help me cook dinner for your aunt and we'll call it even?"

Jasmine nodded again. "Deal."

* * *

Angel made it home around seven that evening. She finally had made it through her last day of class before final exams began, yet she was nowhere near relieved. She knew she didn't do too well on one of her last tests and was very nervous to find out what that grade was.

The Caine woman sighed irritably as she made it in the condo. She was beyond tired and only wanted to eat her weight in food before going to sleep.

"There you are, love," Horatio greeted his wife with a smile. "You're home later than usual."

"Yeah," Angel murmured as she locked the door behind her. "I had to stay late to find out my grade in my psychology class. My professor said the last test grade won't be posted until Monday. Once I find that out, I'll know what I need to get on my final in order to get the grade that I want."

Horatio nodded. "Well I figured you'd be hungry after your long day at school, so I made your favorite dinner."

Angel's face brightened up a bit. "Fried chicken?"

The redhead nodded. "Along with macaroni & cheese and collard greens. I figured you'd like it."

Angel crossed the room to kiss her husband on the cheek. "You're amazing, you know that?"

Horatio chuckled in response. "Jasmine was here earlier. She helped me out with dinner. She couldn't stay, though. Delilah came by and picked her up a little while ago."

"Really? What was she doing here?" Angel asked.

The lieutenant grinned. "Just spending some quality time with her uncle, that's all."

Angel smiled too. "Last time you two spent time together, I got a cat _and_ a marriage proposal. You're not planning on being sneaky again, are you?"

Horatio leaned close to his wife and whispered, "If I was…do you really think I'd tell you?"

The female rolled her eyes playfully. "Whatever, Horatio."

* * *

_**Monday, May 23, 2005**_

The following Monday afternoon, the dayshift CSIs were on their breaks. Speed and Delko munched on their lunches and conversed about sports, while Calleigh was engrossed in a mystery novel. As their break time wound down, the secretary appeared in the doorway.

"Speedle, there's a Natasha Smith here to see you," she said.

Timmy grinned. "Okay, thanks. I'll be right there."

"So your girl came to visit again, huh?" Eric said to his Caucasian coworker, giving him an elbow-jab. Delko smirked. "She bring you 'dessert' again like last week?"

Tim smirked dryly at his male coworker's comment. He rose from his seat on the couch and said, "I'll see you two later."

As he disappeared from the break room, Eric turned to his fiancée. "You workin' overtime today, Cal?"

Calleigh nodded. "Unfortunately, yes. Horatio needs my help on a case that he's working on. He's got no leads and the case is time-sensitive. He needs all the help he can get. The only reason why he didn't ask you too is because you need to go pick up Sabrina before the daycare closes."

"Okay. Well, how late are you gonna be?"

"Probably pretty late," the petite woman replied as she turned a page. "It'll be like that for the rest of the week."

Delko sighed sadly. "Guess that means we're not going to get to plan out our wedding like we said we would, huh?"

The blonde looked up from her book to her fiancé. "I'm sorry, Eric. Maybe this weekend?"

Eric gave a hurt half-smile as he stood up. "Yeah. Maybe. Well, I've gotta go see when Speed is ready to get back to work. We've gotta head to a crime scene and he's got the keys to the Hummer."

Calleigh nodded as she closed her book. "I've got to get going too. Horatio's probably waiting for me to get off break."

The couple strolled down the hallway towards the elevators. Once they were on the bottom floor, they saw Speedle and his girlfriend lingering at the front desk. Eric chuckled at the goofy grin on the white male's face.

"Check out the look on Speed's face," Eric said to his fiancée.

Calleigh laughed with him as they walked towards Speed. "He looks happy. Who would've thought a doppelganger of Angel Caine would be Timmy's next love interest?"

When the engaged couple made it to Tim, the white male barely even noticed his coworkers standing beside him. In fact, he wouldn't have paid them any attention if Natasha didn't acknowledge them.

"Hi, you're Eric, right?" Natasha said to the Russian-Cuban-American. Eric nodded. "I'm Natasha. Timmy told me so much about you. And you must be Calleigh."

The blonde woman grinned. "Nice to meet you, Natasha."

"Y'know, maybe we should double date sometime. Get to know the girl who's been gettin' Tim so weak in the knees," Delko said with another elbow jab to his male coworker's side.

"Uh, I dunno…" Speed began.

Natasha appeared delighted. "That sounds like a wonderful idea! Just let me know when and where."

Tim narrowed his eyes at the Latino, giving him a piercing glare.

"How about this weekend?" Calleigh jumped in. "I work half-days during the weekend, so how about we meet up at the diner down the street? Say, around five p.m.?"

The black woman beamed. "It's a date, then." She checked her watch, not noticing her boyfriend's displeased look. "Oh, I've got to get going. I'll see you guys Saturday." She leaned close to give Speedle a kiss on the cheek. "I'll call you later, Timmy-wimmy."

Eric grinned at Speedle's pet name. "Timmy-wimmy, huh?" the younger male teased as Natasha left the building.

"Don't start, Eric," Tim grumbled.

Of course, Eric wasn't going to back down that easily. "Timmy-wimmy. I'm gonna start calling you that now. You got the keys to the Hummer, Timmy-wimmy?"

If looks could kill, Speedle would've murdered Eric multiple times. "Shut up," he said as they walked out the front door.

* * *

Horatio arrived at his condo late that evening. He knew more bills were due soon, so he put in extra overtime hours that day to ensure he could pay for them all. As he opened the door, the first thing he noticed was Angel's angered cursing from the other room.

"Angel, is everything okay?" he called as he closed and locked the door behind him.

"NO! Everything isn't okay! _NOTHING_ is okay!" Angel shouted back.

Horatio frowned as he followed his wife's voice. "What's wrong, love?"

"I failed my last psychology test! Now it's impossible for me to get an A in that class!"

Horatio made it to his office, where Angel sat before their desktop computer. He walked in the room just in time to see her hurl a pencil cup across the room. The redhead darted around the flying pencils and approached his wife, saying, "Angel, calm down."

"I can't calm down, Horatio! That was my _ONLY_ A! Not to mention I had a couple C's in the other classes! Now if I can't pull up my grades in those classes, I won't even make a 3.0!"

"Love, you need to calm down," Horatio said, though he wasn't sure his wife heard him as she was too busy angrily shouting curses while throwing any and every small object in the vicinity. The redhead dodged a notepad, several CDs, and a planner that once sat on the computer desk. As she started to pick up the keyboard, Horatio seized her by the shoulders and sternly said, "Angel. Calm down. _Now_."

The woman wouldn't listen, though; instead, she yanked out of her husband's hold and lapsed into Spanish, yelling profanities and phrases Horatio would never repeat in her presence. The lieutenant grabbed her arm and repeated himself in Spanish; "_Calmate ahora_!"

Angel abruptly stopped screaming. Horatio watched her stagger backwards, making a strange noise.

"Angel? Sweetheart?" Horatio said slowly, cautiously. "What's going on?"

To his dismay, she didn't answer. The Caine woman trembled in his hold and let out a loud, tortured moan as she doubled over. Horatio's heartbeats accelerated immediately as he quickly brought his other arm up to support the female.

"Love, talk to me," he said, desperately trying to hide his shaky voice. "What's wrong?"

"I'm having contractions," Angel finally blurted before groaning in pain. "And it hurts…a _lot_…"

Horatio's heart dropped upon her words. His wife was having contractions? That couldn't possibly be normal at only six months…_could it_? Horatio wasn't sure and was absolutely terrified to find out. After standing idle in shock for a moment, he scooped his wife into his arms and carried her to the car. Despite his own fear, he shushed his wife's cries and said, "It's going to be okay, sweetheart. Everything's gonna be okay."


	10. 09: Take It Easy

Author's Note: Now there's ANOTHER tropical storm forming near my state. Hurricane season starts June 1st, but it's still May and we've got 2 named storms. Forgive me for my constant complaining, but I was born and raised in Southern California. We don't get storms like this there. - _ -

Anyway, depending on whether that storm comes my way, I should have the next chapter up soon. And I sure hope you all are ready for some drama, because there will be _a lot_ of it coming soon… ;)

**Enjoy and review please!**

* * *

Chapter 9: Take It Easy

* * *

_**Monday, May 23, 2005**_

Horatio waited impatiently for a doctor to come out with news on his wife's condition. They arrived at the ER several hours ago, but he hadn't seen her since she'd been rushed away to a room. Since then, a doctor came to inform the redhead that they were unsure of Angel's condition and she needed tests done in order for them to find out what was wrong.

The lieutenant paced the floor of the waiting room, extremely worried about Angel and the twins' condition. She couldn't possibly be in premature labor, could she? Or what if it were a miscarriage? There were so many scary possibilities with even more terrifying outcomes.

The empty waiting room was silent, though Horatio's troubled thoughts were unbearably loud. What if their children died? What if _Angel_ died? There was no way he could lose his family like this, he told himself. They didn't even have the chance to hold their little boy and girl in their arms yet. It couldn't end so soon, not before it all began.

Being a man of power—a supervisor of the dayshift CSIs _and_ a lieutenant of MDPD—Horatio was often obligated to take control of difficult situations. Yet this time, Horatio wasn't in control at all. He couldn't control whether Angel had their children prematurely, or whether Angel would have a miscarriage. He couldn't solve this problem just by analyzing data or firing a gun like he could at work. At that moment, Horatio realized how powerless he truly was, no matter how many years of experience on the force he possessed.

The redhead recalled his Catholic upbringing and remembered there was one thing left that he _could_ do. He looked heavenward before closing his eyes and doing a sign of the cross across his chest. "Please take care of them, Father…" he whispered softly.

"Mr. Caine?" a feminine voice entered the room after Horatio finished his prayer. The male opened his eyes to see the doctor from earlier standing before him.

"How is she? What happened? Are the tests normal? Is she okay? Are the babies okay?" Horatio questioned madly.

"Sir, calm down," the female said. Horatio nodded slightly and took a deep breath as an attempt to calm himself. Once she saw that he was remotely calmer, she began an explanation. "Your wife appears to have been under a significant amount of stress lately, and it's starting to take its toll on the health of your children, as well as your wife herself."

Horatio's heart dropped. He barely could find his next breaths as he asked, "What happened to them?"

"Fortunately, nothing has happened… Not _yet_, anyway. For now, they're okay," the doctor replied. "But when we did the ultrasound, we discovered that one of the babies has moved close to the cervix and is almost in delivery position. I strongly recommend that Mrs. Caine lower her stress level and try to limit her activities. I also would suggest bed rest for the next six weeks. If not…"

As the doctor trailed off, Horatio urged her to continue. "If not…_what_?"

The woman sighed. "If not, it will be detrimental for the twins' health. Right now it's very likely that she'll deliver early, especially since multiples have a higher risk of premature birth. She needs to stay at home as much as possible, and she should be monitored throughout the rest of the pregnancy. I recommend she make more frequent visits to her obstetrician to check the babies' progress, too."

Horatio nodded slowly, still trying to process all of the information the doctor just told him. "Okay. Can I see her now?"

"Yes, you can. And she will be released soon; there's only a bit of paperwork that needs to be done first."

The doctor led the lieutenant down the ER corridor to Angel's hospital room. Once they made it there, H saw his wife sitting on a cot, absentmindedly tracing her finger over the pattern of her hospital gown. The doctor left him alone with Angel, going to tend to paperwork.

"Love," Horatio called, causing the Caine woman to look up.

Angel smiled weakly. "Hi, baby."

Horatio approached the female and sat on the bed next to her. He wasted no time in drawing her into his arms, hugging her tightly.

"I was so worried about you," he murmured. A lump formed in his throat as he recalled how terrified he was, and he inhaled to repress tears.

"I'm fine, sweetheart," Angel replied as they pulled away.

An awkward stillness hit the two. Angel looked back down to her gown and toyed with it silently. Horatio knew he had to tell her to drop the classes and quickly formulated a plan to do so without upsetting her.

"Angel, we need to talk," he finally said after a long pause.

Angel looked back up to her husband's blue eyes. "Okay. About what?"

"About your classes…" Horatio paused. "You need to drop your classes for summer semester."

The woman immediately shook her head. "I can't do that, Horatio. I'm behind in credits, and I want to at least graduate by the end of next year."

"Love, that's not important right now," Horatio responded.

Angel frowned. She suddenly appeared upset. "What the hell do you mean that's not important? Of _course_ it's important!"

"Angel, calm down."

She wouldn't listen, though. "Why would you say it's not important? I thought you _wanted_ me to go school!"

"I _do_ want you to go to school, Angel," Horatio retorted. "I just don't want you to—"

"You want me to go to school, but it's not important? That doesn't make any damn sense!"

The way Angel kept screaming without letting Horatio explain himself was starting to work the redhead's nerves. Despite his growing aggravation, he tried to remain calm and said, "Will you let me explain, Angel?"

"Explain what? That you don't think school is important anymore? Okay, sure, I might have overdone it. But I'm not dropping out of school just because you don't think it's important anymore!"

"Damn it, Angel!" Horatio snapped as he lost his composure. "Do you even realize that you could've lost the babies today? You could've gone into premature labor, and all you care about are those damned classes? Do you even _care_ about the health of our children?"

"Of _course_ I care about our children!" Angel shot back.

"Are you going to drop the classes, then?"

Angel didn't respond that time. Instead, she looked back down to her hospital gown.

Upon her silence, Horatio continued; "You need to drop those classes, Angel."

"I can handle it, Horatio," Angel piped up. "I don't need to drop; I just need to focus more."

"_Listen_ _to yourself_, Angel!" Horatio yelled. "Is graduating in a year really more important than the safety of Sera and Gabriel?"

"Why the hell do you keep saying that? I _said_ I care about my babies!"

"_**Our**_ babies," Horatio corrected. "And I say it because it seems like you're more concerned about graduating than you are about what could've happened if you would've delivered too early."

"I care about the babies, Horatio! But can't I just take the classes and—?"

"No, Angel," the redhead cut her off. "I let it go earlier, but I can't do it anymore. I'm not going to let you kill our babies—and yourself—over a failed test grade. So you have two choices: either you drop the classes…or I'll go down to the college and drop them for you."

Angel rolled her eyes, folded her arms, and turned away from him.

Silence seized the room. Sighing, the redhead decided to try a different approach.

"Do you know how worried I was about you? I was so scared that I'd lose the babies…or you…or all three of you," Horatio said softly as he reached out to gently caress Angel's shoulder. The woman's hard look softened as she felt the warmth of her husband's hand through her flimsy hospital gown. The temperature difference between him and the frigid hospital atmosphere was vast, yet she didn't shiver at the disparity. His warmth—both literal and figurative—was very comforting.

"I guess it was kinda stupid of me to take all these classes," Angel murmured, giving a soft sigh in defeat. "I just thought that I could do this. Now that I finally have someone who believes in me, I guess I thought I was invincible." She chuckled as she realized the silliness of the theory. "That doesn't make much sense, does it?"

Horatio managed to laugh with her. "It _is_ a bit impossible. No one is invincible, really. But I understand how it feels to actually believe you _are_ invincible."

Angel smiled, "Yeah. I know. You've always been bad when it comes to talking about how you're feeling when a case bothers you." She paused. "And when I say bad, I mean _really _bad. Like _really_, _**REALLY**_—"

"Okay, love, I get your point," Horatio said with a dry smirk. Angel snickered a bit.

Another silence fell over them until Angel said, "I guess it wouldn't hurt to drop out of summer classes and go back after I finish nursing the babies. But what do I do about finals?"

"Maybe you could email your instructors and make arrangements to take the finals online?" Horatio suggested.

Angel nodded. "I'll do that, then." She sighed a little. "I really hope I didn't do anything to compromise the babies' health. I wanted to graduate early, but I don't want to hurt my…I mean, _our_ babies."

Horatio gave a weak smile. "You're supposed to be on bed rest for a while. The doctor also said you should be monitored…I think I'll call your brothers to come over in the daytime when I'm at work."

Angel groaned in protest. "I'm gonna be babysat by my brothers all day?"

"For lack of better words…yes," Horatio said. "I don't want to risk anything happening to you or the twins, love."

The woman still was displeased. "I can't believe I'm being babysat. I'm twenty-eight years old and I can't stay at home by myself."

Horatio leaned over to kiss his wife's cheek. "I know it may be frustrating, sweetheart. But it's for your own good." He placed a hand on her stomach and said, "All three of you."

Angel only laid her head on his shoulder. Although she knew she had brought this upon herself, she couldn't wait until the pregnancy was over and she could go back to being somewhat independent.

Somehow, she knew that the last few months of her pregnancy would not be pleasant…

* * *

_**Saturday, May 28, 2005**_

Angel shuffled quietly into the kitchen early that Saturday afternoon. Her brothers took turns monitoring her throughout the week, and although it had only been a matter of days, Angel was already fed up. All five of her living brothers turns babysitting her from the moment Horatio left for work until he came home later that evening. All day every day, Angel had been told to get back in bed, except for when she had to use the bathroom. She couldn't even go into the kitchen without being scolded. And every time she asked why she had to go back to bed, she got the same answer: _because I said so_. It felt like she was eight instead of twenty-eight.

That day, Chris was watching her. He was the toughest out of the bunch. He even swatted her a few times, as if she were his child. Angel told herself she'd hit him back if he laid another hand on her again.

She slowly crept across the kitchen, hoping she could at least get a snack by herself. She hated the way her brothers had to do everything for her.

"Ang, what are you doing?" Chris asked as he saw her in the kitchen.

"Getting something to eat," Angel replied.

Chris crossed the room, folding his arms across his chest. "What did I tell you about getting up? I told you to send me a text message if you wanted something."

"Damn, Chris; I'm your sister, not your daughter. Why are you talking to me like I'm a child?"

"Why are you out of bed when the doctor told you to be on bed rest for at least the next six weeks?"

"I can't even go to the kitchen to get food by myself?" Angel asked.

"Ang, we've been over this. You're supposed to be in bed. Now go on; get to bed."

"But I'm hungry, Chris, and you never bring me enough food."

Chris sighed. "Fine. What do you want? Besides parmesan cheese, that is."

"Let me get it," Angel murmured as she tried to squeeze past him.

The near-seven-footer placed two fingers on his sister's forehead and held her back with ease. "What did I say, Angel?"

Angel jolted out of his hold. "Stop talking to me like I'm baby! I'm twenty-eight years old, damn it!"

"Angel, calm down and get to bed before I call Horatio on you."

The Caine woman folded her arms, silently seething. Horatio was about ten times worse than Chris, minus the swatting.

"_Puto,_" she cursed in Spanish before stomping back into her room.

The woman gazed at the clock once she was back in bed. Horatio would be back soon, and he'd most likely ask Chris if she gave him any trouble. If Chris said yes, she'd get a scolding from her husband, too. She absolutely hated being treated like a child, no matter what the circumstances were.

"You never said what you wanted to eat," Chris said as he popped into the room.

"Forget it. I ain't hungry anymore," Angel grumbled.

"C'mon, Ang. Don't be like that. You know I'm only here for your own good."

"I know you gettin' on my goddamned nerves," the woman snapped.

"Yeah, well that comes part of the job. Now what do you want to eat?"

"Just bring me some cheese and crackers," she said. "And treat me like an adult."

Chris gave a half smile. "Okay, sis. I'll be back."

Angel placed a hand on her growling stomach as she waited for her brother to come back. She'd heard from others that pregnant women ate a lot, but in her case, it seemed much worse. Being pregnant with twins probably had something to do with her extra appetite, she figured.

"Here," Chris said as he came back in with a few slices of cheese and some crackers.

Angel glared at the plate, displeased. "That's it? I said I was hungry, and you give me like three pieces of cheese and five crackers?"

Chris sighed again as he left to go get more food. "Damn, your ass is worse than Delilah when she was pregnant with Jas," he mumbled.

"I'm eating for three!" Angel shot back, growing irritated all over again.

"Why are you yelling, love?" Horatio asked as he entered the room.

"Horatio I can't stand this! My brothers are treating me like I'm a baby, and Chris gives me spankings and barely even feeds me!" Angel yelled at her husband.

"Calm down, sweetheart," H said soothingly. "We're only doing this—"

"For my own good, I know. Or so you say. Baby it's driving me crazy," Angel cried. "Can you _please_ just let me stay home by myself?"

"No," Horatio promptly responded. "At least not yet. Wait until after your doctor's appointment next week and then we'll see."

Angel groaned loudly in frustration as she pulled her pillow over her head. "I can't stand you! None of you!"

Horatio smiled as he leaned over to kiss his wife's hand. "I love you too, sweetheart."


	11. 10: Trouble

Chapter 10: Trouble

* * *

_**Saturday, May 28, 2005**_

"I can't believe you keep dragging me here," Delko grumbled to his fiancée as he sat next to the blonde woman. Once again they were at Flamingo Café, and Eric seemed to detest this place the more he came here.

"I can't believe you're still whining about this," Calleigh said as she brought out a jar of baby food for Sabrina. "It's one of my favorite restaurants."

Eric was about to complain more, yet he stopped when he saw Tim and Natasha enter the diner.

"Hi guys," Natasha said perkily as she crossed the diner with her boyfriend. Speed pulled out Natasha's chair for her, causing the mocha-skinned woman to smile.

"Aww, how sweet," Eric teased, earning himself a hard look from the white male.

The waitress came by with menus and left the two couples to decide on their orders. After they did, they struck conversation while they waited for their waitress to return.

"How old is your little girl?" Natasha asked the engaged couple.

"Almost eight months," Calleigh answered.

"Wow. She's a beautiful baby," Natasha replied. "She reminds me of my niece back home in California."

"You're from California?"

"Mm-hmm. Crescent City."

Eric smirked as he made a connection to Angel Caine and decided to tease Speedle even more. "Really? How close is that to San Diego?"

Speedle swiftly kicked his male coworker in the shin underneath the table. _Hard_.

"Damn, Speed, that was my leg," Eric muttered.

Tim feigned innocence. "Oh was it? My bad." He lowered his voice to mutter, "Just be lucky it was only your leg…"

"It's not close at all," Natasha replied, not catching on to the males' dispute at all. "San Diego is on the southern border of California, which is only a few miles away from Mexico. Crescent City is on the opposite end of the state, on the northern border near Oregon. I know 'cause I went on vacation down there and made the mistake of driving there by myself…"

Calleigh quirked her brow. "You drove across the entire state of California? How long'd that take?"

"About a day—literally. I started at 4am and didn't get down there until 1am the next day. Traffic was horrible—especially when I passed through Los Angeles."

The blonde smiled. "I can only imagine."

The waitress came to take the group's orders. Once she left, Calleigh and Natasha sparked conversation again. Their conversation drifted to manicures and pedicures, which is when Eric and Tim tuned out of the discussion and began their own. The two couples chatted for a while until the waitress came with their orders. Sabrina leaned over in her high chair upon seeing the food and fussed in baby-talk until Eric picked her up.

"Dadadadada," the girl babbled as she reached for her father's fork.

Eric chuckled as he reached down to his plate to pinch a small piece of a French fry to feed his daughter. The baby chewed it up quickly and reached for another.

"Okay hold on, Bri. Didn't mommy just feed you?" the male said as he pinched another piece of fry.

"She's got your appetite," Speed jested. "You're _always_ eating."

Delko pursed his lips. He was about to respond, but Sabrina squirmed around in his arms and reached for Tim.

"She wants you," Eric said as he passed the baby to his best friend. Tim carefully took the baby, cradling her in his arms. She leaned down to grab some food from Speedle's plate.

"Oh I see, you only wanted my food, huh Bri?" Speed said as he tickled the child. Sabrina giggled.

"He's pretty good with her," Calleigh whispered to Eric.

"Yeah, he is. I'm actually impressed," Delko whispered back.

"And look at Natasha," Cal continued as she saw the black woman play with Sabrina along with her boyfriend. "Those two look like they'd be great parents."

Eric chuckled. "They would. But it'd take a while for me to get used to Speedle being a father."

The blonde shrugged. "You never know…"

* * *

_**Monday, May 30, 2005**_

"Angel, are you feeling all right?" Horatio asked as he briefly glanced over to his wife in the passenger seat beside him. The two were on their way to Angel's obstetrician's office, and Horatio noticed she was uncharacteristically silent all day.

"I'm fine," Angel murmured softly, though she knew in all actuality that she wasn't fine at all. She felt extremely unhappy, yet she didn't exactly know why. She tried to place a reason behind her depression, but every time she contemplated a cause, it didn't make sense to her. Part of her constantly thought about her brother, A.J., and how much she wanted to be with him. But she knew the only way she could do that was to kill herself—something she told herself in the past that she'd never do. She could never go through with taking her own life, not when she had so much to live for. Recently, however, she wasn't entirely certain whether she could go through with it or not.

"Are you sure sweetheart?" the redhead queried. "You've been really quiet all day."

"I'm fine, babe," Angel lied. "Just tired. And hungry. If I didn't have this doctor's appointment, I'd most likely be eating or sleeping right now. Or both, if it were possible."

"Okay," Horatio said with a small smile. "Well how about I make dinner tonight when we get home and you take a nap while you wait for me to finish?"

Angel nodded. "Sounds good to me."

Stillness fell over the car once more, and the Caine couple remained silent for the remainder of the car ride to the doctor's office. Once Angel signed in, she sat next to her husband in the waiting room. The female laid her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes.

Angel couldn't help but crack a small smile when Horatio reached up to caress her shoulder with his thumb. She still felt upset, but his gentle gesture brightened her mood a bit.

"Angel Caine?" a nurse called Angel's name.

The pregnant woman slowly rose from her seat, Horatio assisting her. After taking vitals, the nurse left the Caines alone in an examination room.

Silence fell over them immediately. Horatio noticed how strange his wife had been acting that day. He knew Angel said she was tired, yet he sensed there was something more behind her out-of-character quietness. But what was wrong, exactly?

"Hi, Mrs. Caine, how are you feeling?" the doctor asked as she entered the room.

"Okay," Angel said softly.

The two women spoke about Angel's early contractions, and the doctor mentioned something about getting another ultrasound done. Once everything was set up, the doctor began the procedure.

"They're definitely in position," the doctor said as she pointed to the screen with her free hand. "Your girl's head is near the cervix."

"What does that mean?" Angel asked, fear creeping into her voice.

The doctor sighed. "Right now it appears you're going to deliver early."

"How early?" Horatio questioned, genuinely fearful too.

"It's hard to say. It could be only two or three weeks early. Then again, it could be as early as next month."

Angel shuddered a breath. At that moment, she felt depressed all over again.

_This is all my fault_, she told herself. _If I would've only listened to Horatio when he told me to drop those classes last month, I wouldn't be in this mess._

"So what can we do?" she asked in a small voice.

"Bed rest is ideal in this situation, but you should be fine as long as you avoid physical activity and lower your stress level," the doctor responded as she shut off the machine. "I highly doubt you will go into premature labor, though. It's still possible that the babies will move again. It's also possible that you'll deliver full term."

Those words were enough to keep Horatio optimistic, but Angel wasn't so easily swayed. The redhead thanked the doctor, while Angel simply stared at her large stomach. Once the doctor left, Horatio looked to Angel.

"Are you okay?" Horatio asked, although he clearly knew by the unhappy look on her face that she was anything but.

"I'm fine," Angel murmured, feigning a smile. "I just wished I would've listened to you earlier when you told me to take it slow."

"Things will be fine, sweetheart," Horatio said. "You heard what the doctor said. It's still possible that you'll deliver full term." He walked across the room to pull her in for a hug. "Everything will be just fine," he assured.

"I sure hope so," Angel murmured inaudibly.

* * *

_**Saturday, June 25, 2005**_

About a month later, Horatio was home from working a half-day at the crime lab and spent time with his wife. Angel briefly went outside to get the mail. She still had sporadic moments of depression, but spending time with her husband seemed to help alleviate her sadness.

"Baby I got the mail," Angel called as she came back into the condo. She began to tear open a letter that was addressed to her from Miami-Dade Memorial. Once she began reading, she frowned as she read the words _THIRD_ _NOTICE_ written in bold red letters across the top. Surely this was a mistake, she figured. She hadn't gotten a single notice from them. She continued reading. They were asking for a large amount of money for when she'd been seen in the ER the month before, and apparently since they didn't pay when the previous notices were sent, they were obligated to pay a late fee on top of it all. Angel wandered through the condo to find her husband in hopes that he could sort this out.

"Baby, why is Dade Memorial saying that they've sent me three notices about a hospital bill?" Angel asked as she held up the letter. "They haven't sent me anything."

Horatio appeared startled for a moment as he saw her holding the bill in her hands. He heaved a heavy sigh before softly saying, "Well…they have, actually."

Angel frowned. "What are you talking about? This is the first one that I've seen."

"Well…that's because I…" Horatio sighed again. "I've been opening them for you."

Angel was still confused. "Why?"

"It's part of the bills, and I didn't want you to worry about it, sweetheart," Horatio replied.

"Okay…" Angel said, glancing back to the letter. "Why haven't you paid it yet, then?"

Horatio stood to take the bill from her hands. He folded it up and went to tuck it into a drawer. "Don't worry about it, love."

Angel wouldn't back down though. "Horatio, please tell me why you haven't paid this yet."

Horatio appeared to be thinking of an answer. After a long moment, he said, "We just have other priorities right now."

Angel wasn't satisfied with this answer. "Baby, tell me the truth. Why haven't you paid the bill yet?"

Horatio brought his hand to ruffle his red mane before saying, "Because we don't have enough money to pay it."

The woman did a double take. "Wait…we're having money troubles?"

The redhead nodded solemnly.

"How long has this been going on?"

Horatio appeared quite uncomfortable now. He really didn't want to answer that question, Angel could tell.

Growing impatient, Angel sternly said, "_Answer the question_, Horatio. How long has this been happening?"

"Since we came home from our honeymoon," Horatio answered in a small voice.

"What? You can't be serious…" Angel murmured disbelievingly. "How bad is it?"

Horatio sighed and took her by the hand. He silently led her to the computer, signed into their bank account online, and opened their account balance. Angel's eyes widened as she saw the numbers—or rather, lack thereof.

"_What_? Why didn't you tell me this! How could you keep this from me for so long?" Angel demanded an answer.

"Love, I didn't want you to be upset like you are now," Horatio said softly.

"I'm upset because you didn't tell me!" the woman screamed. "We've been short on money for months and you're just telling me this _now_? What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Angel, I'm sorry," was all that Horatio could think of saying.

"Why couldn't you have told me earlier? Do you even trust me?"

"Of course I trust you, love," the lieutenant said. "I just thought I could handle this on my own."

"And that worked out _so well_ for you, didn't it?" Angel snapped.

Horatio knew well enough he wasn't supposed to answer that question.

"What are we going to do now?" Angel verbally wondered.

"I don't know," Horatio said honestly.

Angel sighed. "Well I guess I'll just go job hunting and—"

"You're not getting a job, Angel," Horatio interrupted.

Angel pursed her lips. "There you go again. You think you can handle everything yourself."

"I _can_ handle this by myself, Angel," Horatio retorted.

The woman snickered slightly, yet her laugh was far from humorous. She shook her head. "You know what? Fine. FINE! You wanna handle it yourself, then yo' ass can handle it all by yo' damn self. I'm _DONE!_"

Angel stormed out of the room. Horatio flinched when he heard her slam the door to their room. He sighed again. Somehow, he figured he'd be sleeping out on the couch again. Yet that was only _one_ of his issues. What could he possibly do about his dwindling funds and another hefty bill? Perhaps trying to cover this problem up from Angel was more expensive than telling her in the first place.

Horatio literally shook his head to rid that thought from his mind. He could beat himself up about it later; for now, he had to think of a plan of how to earn more money without making his pregnant wife work.

_I __**could**__ start working Sundays and holidays,_ the redhead silently presumed. _Sure it means spending less time with Angel, but it'll mean extra pay…and that's what we need right now._

After weighing the options, Horatio decided to work Sundays and holidays. That along with cutting back on their spending would put them back in a financially comfortable position within the next few months.

_That was much easier than I thought,_ Horatio thought to himself, wondering why he hadn't thought of that earlier. Yet he knew solving his next dilemma wouldn't be as simple. What could he possibly tell Angel to convince her forgive him?

Without formulating a plan, Horatio decided to at least try and talk to her about his mistake.

The redhead ambled down the hallway and knocked on the door. "Angel, sweetheart?"

"What do you want?" Angel grumbled.

"Can you open the door?"

Silence.

After a moment, the door flung open and an extremely displeased Angel Caine stood on the other side.

"Love, I figured out what I can do about our money issue."

The woman shrugged. "Okay, good for you," she said simply before pivoting on her heel and walking back to their bed.

Horatio sighed. "Do you want me to tell you what it is?"

Angel brought her hand to her chin, pretending to ponder for a moment. "Oh, I don't know, Horatio. Why would you possibly tell _me_? Can't you handle this by yourself?"

The redhead paused before saying, "Okay, I know I deserved that."

"You're _damn right_ you deserved that!" Angel growled.

"Angel I didn't mean to hurt your feelings." He inched across the room to the bed and sat next to his wife. "I just didn't want you to worry about this."

"Do you even realize that just makes things worse? Every time you do that, it just makes me worry about it even more."

"Well…I know _now_," Horatio said.

Angel said nothing.

"I'm sorry sweetheart. Can you forgive me?"

"I don't know, Horatio," Angel murmured. "I really have to think about this one."

The redhead sighed in defeat. "Okay, love. I'll leave you alone."

Horatio got up from the bed and left his wife alone in their room to cool off.


	12. 11: …And More Trouble

Author's Note: I'm pretty certain you all will be shocked by the end of this chapter…

* * *

Chapter 11: …And Even More Trouble

* * *

_**Saturday, June 25, 2005**_

Angel sat alone in the master bedroom, staring down at her large stomach. She was undeniably angry after the previous argument with her husband. Why hadn't he told her they were having money troubles earlier? She could have easily helped cut back on spending if only she would've known.

Part of being in a committed relationship was coming together to discuss their problems. And as soon as Angel moved in with Horatio, they came together on every decision. Lately, however, they had stopped discussing things. They didn't talk as much as the used to, either. Even though she spent the entire afternoon with her husband, they had barely uttered a word to each other. Instead, she spent the majority of the day sitting by his side and silently watching TV. The most talking they did was Horatio asking her if she wanted a snack while he was in the kitchen.

What was happening to their relationship? How could they possibly be drifting apart after only having been wed a mere four months ago? Angel wasn't sure, but the very thought of drifting away from Horatio depressed her.

She wanted to cry, yet she couldn't shed a single tear. Her mind told herself that she was sad, yet her body remained numb to her emotions. She then felt angry again; only this time she was angered that she couldn't express her true emotions. Her anger grew drastically within a matter of seconds for no comprehensible reason. She fiddled with a safety pin that held her blouse's front together as a rush of self-condescending thoughts flooded her mind. Those thoughts soon turned violent as a thought of harming herself came to mind. And for some strange reason, instead of talking herself out of it, she decided to act on it.

Angel unpinned the safety pin from her shirt and stared at it for a long moment. There was a nagging voice in the back of her mind that told her she shouldn't do this, yet she ignored her conscience and slowly dragged the pin across her inner arm. She didn't realize how hard she'd scratched herself until she stopped and saw a crimson liquid dribbling down the safety pin. She then looked back to her arm, which was now bleeding.

A noise sounded from the door, and Angel jolted in alarm before she scrambled to hide her self-inflicted wound. She breathed a sigh of relief when she realized the maker of that noise was only Panda trotting into the room. Guilt mixed with her anger and sadness. As she looked back to her arm, she remembered that she promised Horatio she'd talk to him whenever she felt saddened enough to hurt herself. She'd broken her promise.

Tears finally began to well up in her eyes and slid down her cheeks. She sniffled as she laid back on the bed, losing herself in her thoughts. _What the hell is wrong with me?_ She wondered. _Why did I just do that? Why didn't I just go to Horatio instead?_

Angel wasn't entirely sure how long she was lying on the bed until she heard the door creak open. She looked up to see her husband at the door with a tray of food in his hands.

"I thought you could use a snack," he said, cracking an adorable and charming smile that usually would lift her spirits. Today, however, it only made her feel even more upset. Her guilt intensified as he came to the bed to set the tray before her. "Are you hungry, love?"

"Uh, yeah," Angel said, feigning a smile. She didn't realize which arm she raised to receive his peace offering until she saw him furrow his brow in concern. He took her scratched arm in his hand, gingerly tracing over the wound with his index finger.

"Love…what happened here?"

"I uh," Angel started, yet her voice cracked. She cleared her throat, quickly formulating a lie in the process. "I was playing with Panda and I guess I was a little too rough. She swiped me with her paw…it didn't hurt, though."

The concerned frown never left the redhead's features. "Did you put something on this yet?"

"Uh, no. Not yet. I was going to do that in a little bit."

Horatio nodded. He then rose from the bed to locate their kitten, which was playing in their dirty clothes hamper. Angel felt even guiltier when she heard Horatio scold the little cat for _scratching_ her.

"Baby, it's fine," Angel interrupted. "I was being too rough with her—it was my fault."

"I still don't think she should've scratched you so hard," Horatio replied. "Remind me to file her claws down before the weekend is over, will you love?"

Angel didn't say anything at first. Her guilt-trip was just getting worse and worse by the minute.

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, I'll do that," she finally murmured as Horatio approached her again.

He sat by her on the bed again and asked, "So did I bring enough food, or do you want me to get you something more?"

"Uh…no. No, this is fine," Angel near-whispered.

Silence hit them. Angel simply stared down at the food before her. She wasn't the least bit hungry, yet she didn't want to vocalize the true reason behind her lost appetite. So instead, she picked up a cracker and piece of cheese to nibble on in hopes that her husband would believe she was okay. He didn't suspect a thing, either. He leaned over to kiss her cheek, asking, "So does this mean you forgive me?"

Angel smiled weakly. "Yeah, I forgive you."

Horatio grinned too. "Good. I love you sweetheart."

The female avoided his gaze and broadened her false smile. "I love you too."

* * *

_**Saturday, July 2, 2005**_

A week later, Horatio spent the morning with his wife late the next Saturday morning. He scheduled himself to go in for work that afternoon, yet he didn't want to think of chasing criminals or analyzing DNA right now. Instead, he only wanted to think of his wife. They'd spent the entire morning in bed cuddling—among other things. Suddenly the doorbell rang, and Angel rolled out of bed to answer it.

"_Nooo_, Angel," Horatio whined in protest as he reached for her again. "Don't leave now."

"Baby we've been at it all morning," Angel replied with a small smirk as she quickly tugged on a pair of leggings and pulled on one of her husband's T-shirts.

Horatio picked himself up and wrapped his arms around his wife, preventing her from getting dressed completely. "You've never complained about sleeping in late before."

"Mm…Horatio, stop," Angel moaned as he kissed her neck. "Baby, someone's at the door. I need to get the door."

The redhead wouldn't let up, though. He reeled her in close, closing the gap between their bodies. He bit her neck roughly, causing her to let out a longer, louder moan. She abruptly seized a handful of his scarlet hair and yanked him off.

"C'mon babe, seriously," she said. Horatio sighed in defeat as he heard their visitor knock violently at the front door.

"Okay fine. We're continuing this later, though," he said. Angel only smiled as she exited the master bedroom and headed for the front door.

A blonde woman stood on the opposite side of the door. She had a fairly average frame with the exception of her chest, which was so voluminous and disproportionate to the rest of her body that Angel automatically assumed it wasn't natural. Aside from breast implants, the mystery woman looked to have had a lot of work done—from face-lifts to collagen injections. Despite her many cosmetic surgeries, she still looked no younger than Horatio's age—most likely several years older. Angel also noticed she looked to be none too pleased.

"Where is Horatio?" the white woman snapped angrily as she forced her way into the condo.

Angel frowned as she followed the woman. "Uh…who are you?"

The woman didn't answer the question. Instead, she looked back to gaze over Angel in a head-to-toe motion. "Humph. You must be the new girlfriend."

"I'm Horatio's _wife_," Angel corrected. "Angel Caine."

The blonde smiled humorlessly. "Really. Well I'm not exactly sure why I'm surprised. Horatio's always been one to make bad decisions…starting with when he divorced me."

Angel frowned again, this time in utter confusion. "What are you talking about?" she asked.

A genuine grin crept onto the white woman's features and she laughed in apparent amusement. "He didn't tell you? Well, let me introduce myself. I'm Melissa Holmes, formerly Melissa _Caine_—Horatio's ex-wife."

Angel froze, silently stupefied by this strange blonde's words. Horatio had been divorced? He never mentioned anything about being divorced. Bad enough he hid their financial status from her, but now he was hiding a whole past marriage from her? What else was he hiding from her?

"Uh," Angel said as she tried to compose herself. "Whatever it is you want, you're gonna have to come back another time. Horatio is busy."

"Busy, huh?" Melissa said. "Well that's too damn bad, 'cause he's gonna have to _make time_ for me." The blonde paused to flip her long stringy hair over her shoulder. "He's late on sending my yearly check, and I've got bills to pay."

_He's been paying this woman money?_ Angel thought silently._ Is that why he wouldn't let me know we were having money troubles?_

"I think you need to leave," Angel managed to say in spite of her shock.

Melissa pursed her plump lips. "I'm not leaving until I get what I deserve." The woman paced the floor, muttering something to herself. Then aloud, she said, "Horatio's always been one to lie to people who are important to him. He never pays his checks on time. Mainly 'cause he wastes money on his little girlfriends. He's too damned stupid to realize money can't buy you love. He just blows thousands of dollars on women like it's nothing. Then when they get tired of being neglected for 'work' and want to leave him, he gets his little feelings hurt."

Angel gritted her teeth. Hearing this woman talk about her husband like this was pushing her past her limit. "Y'know, it just sounds like you're bitter about losing Horatio so you're just makin' up stupid shit. Horatio ain't like that."

Melissa broke into a loud laughter. "You poor child. You're completely clueless. Horatio may seem all sweet now, but believe me, he's anything but. Soon, he'll get all caught up in 'work.'" Angel watched Melissa form quotes around her last word before she pursed her lips again. "Or so he says. Next thing you know he's calling out another woman's name in bed. …Compulsive lyin' bastard."

"Okay, now I _know _you're lying," Angel retorted. "Horatio would never do that."

"Oh yeah? Well if Horatio isn't a liar, why didn't he tell you about me?"

Angel didn't answer that. Actually, she realized she _couldn't _answer that because she hadn't the slightest clue.

To make matters worse, Melissa kept talking; "How old are you? Like…twenty? There's no way a little whore like you will last with him. He gets bored with girls like you easily. Then he tries to find a _real_ woman, but after a while he gets scared and goes back to dating barely-legal sluts. Like you."

The black woman felt her blood boil upon Melissa's words. "Okay, you got 'bout five seconds to get the hell up outta my house, or I _promise_ you you'll wish you never stepped in the door."

"How many women do you think he's been with? You think just because he gave you a fancy ring and got you pregnant that your relationship is gonna last?"

"Melissa?" Horatio's voice entered the conversation. "What are you doing here?"

Melissa looked up to the redhead. "You think I wouldn't notice you didn't give me my check in March?"

Horatio sighed uneasily. In trying to get by after their money troubles, he completely forgot about paying his former wife her check. "Melissa, I'll send you your check soon, but right now you need to leave."

"No, you're gonna write it _right now_. I know you're probably too preoccupied with this little whore, but—"

"Bitch, call me a ho one mo' time!" Angel growled. "Just one goddamned more time! I _dare _yo' ass!"

Horatio sensed the situation was going to go from bad to worse in a matter of moments. His accusation was confirmed when Melissa smirked and said,

"Whatcha gonna do, bitch? Throw a damn temper tantrum?"

"On _hell _naw," Angel muttered as she took off her earrings. Once she dropped them to the floor, she charged forward to go for the white woman's throat. Horatio stepped forwards to intervene, but a moment too late. Melissa quickly snatched the younger woman up by the hair and, despite Angel's violent clawing, shoved her down to the floor. Angel hopped back up in an instant and lunged forward, tackling the elder woman down to the floor.

Horatio scrambled to break up the women's brawl. He tried to squeeze in between the two females, yet every time he got near them, he got punched in the crossfire. Several elbow jabs and head-butts later, the redhead managed to pull his current wife off of his ex-wife.

"Get out, Melissa," Horatio said loudly, his voice competing with Angel's angered bilingual cursing.

"Give me my damn money first," Melissa snapped back.

"I'll write the check as soon as you leave," the redhead replied.

Melissa shot an angry look at Angel before saying, "You've got a week before I sue the pants off of you and your so-called 'wife.'" And with that, she grabbed her purse and left the condo.

Once Horatio was certain Melissa was gone, he released his wife. Somehow, he figured a compromised contract between him and his former wife was the least of his troubles. And once he saw the furious look on Angel's face, he knew well enough he was in deep trouble…_again_.

"I can't _BELIEVE_ you, Horatio!" Angel screamed.

"Sweetheart, I can explain," Horatio began.

"You can, huh? Well go ahead; try and explain your way outta this one. Tell me one good reason why you hid an _ENTIRE PAST MARRIAGE_ from me!"

The redhead sighed and quickly tried to explain himself. "Love, it's complicated. We were only married for a few months. I'm paying her money because that is part of a contract we signed. You see, she had a full scholarship to a university in Texas. She had everything planned out, and she was going get her Master's degree once she graduated with her Bachelor's.

"I came along right after this happened, and when I asked her to marry me, she knew I couldn't move to Texas with her because of my job. So she turned the offer down and decided to go to college out here while I paid for it.

"Once we realized our marriage wasn't going to work out, I offered to pay a portion of her tuition for five years. This year was supposed to be the last year. Since then, she dropped out of school and used my checks to fund her…cosmetic surgeries. But since I'm under contract, I legally still have to pay her money once a year, every March."

Angel folded her arms. "And you never told me this _because_…?"

"I figured I'd tell you after I paid her the last check this year. But once we started having money troubles, I forgot about her completely. I didn't mean to hurt you, love. I'm sorry. I was going to tell you eventually."

Angel smirked, though her grin was far from humorous. "_Eventually_, huh? Well maybe I'll forgive you _eventually_."

The woman walked away before Horatio could say another word. The redhead followed her, quickly walking down the hallway and into the master bedroom.

"Sweetheart, I'm sorry," H said once more. He approached the bed and sat down next to her. He leaned over to take her in her arms, but Angel pulled away before he could.

"Oh _hell_ naw," she said. "Yo' ass ain't gon' get out of this that easily."

"Love, I didn't mean—"

Angel held up a hand to stop him. "Stop, Horatio. Just stop talking. I can't deal with you right now. Leave me alone."

"But Angel—"

"Either you leave, or _I_ will," Angel talked over him. "And I can promise you if I walk out that door, you will _not_ see me back here tonight."

"Sweetheart, you need to calm down and think about this…"

Angel threw her hands up in resignation and got up from the bed. She went to the dresser to grab some clothes and stuffed them into a duffle bag that lay on her side of the closet. After taking up her purse, she left the master bedroom. Horatio shot up from his seat to follow her.

"Angel, wait!" he said as he tried to catch up with her. "Love, don't do this!"

He caught her by her sleeve and reeled her back in. Angel tried to jerk away, but Horatio toughened his grip and held onto her arm tightly.

"Let me go, Horatio," she growled in a low tone.

"Love, I'm sorry! Please don't leave…I'm really, _really _sorry!"

"Sorry doesn't take back the fact that you hid this from me for _over a_ _year_, Horatio!" Angel snapped as she spun around.

"I know," Horatio said. "I know, Angel. It was a stupid mistake on my part. But you can't just leave like this."

"Oh I can't?" Angel said as she yanked her arm out of his hold. "Just _watch_ me."

Horatio stood idle in shock as his wife stormed out the back door.

* * *

A/N 2: Review please? Thanks!


	13. 12: Trust Issues

Chapter 12: Trust Issues

* * *

_**Saturday, July 2, 2005**_

Angel stomped out of the condo and around the side to the garage. She punched in the code to open the garage door and threw her duffle bag in the trunk of her car. After getting in and hastily buckling her seatbelt, she keyed the ignition and pulled out of the garage.

Where could she possibly go? If she went to Danté's or any of her brothers' places, Horatio would most likely follow her there. Right now she didn't want to think of him. She only wanted to be left alone to think about what she should do next. But where could she go?

She realized she couldn't go see her best friend, Daniella. Since Daniella was Danté's girlfriend, she'd most likely tell Danté that Angel was over, who would tell Horatio. Angel groaned as she realized she didn't have many options left.

Angel pondered deeply as she drove away from her neighborhood. She had to go somewhere where she could think about what she should do. It had to be somewhere Horatio wouldn't check, yet some place that she felt comfortable at the same time. Angel finally made the decision to go to the aquarium in hopes that the marine life would calm her nerves.

* * *

Horatio was in a panic as he heard his wife pull off. Was this seriously happening? Had Angel seriously left him? Would she ever come back? There were too many questions and not enough answers, and the uncertainty was driving Horatio insane.

Why did he have to keep this from her like this? Why hadn't he told her a long time ago? The redhead tried to make sense of his stupid decision, but the more he thought on it, the more senseless it became.

_I just should've told her in the very beginning,_ Horatio told himself. _If I would've told her before, she probably would've understood…_

The lieutenant grew furious with himself the more he thought of the situation, and he angrily pounded the wall with his fist. Heaven only knew where Angel could be now, and she was missing all because of him. What could he do now?

The redhead picked up his cell and dialed Danté's number. Angel tended to go to him when she had a problem. Horatio could only hope that this incident was no different than her last ones.

"Hello?" Danté began.

"Danté, it's H. Is Angel there?"

"Uh, no. No she isn't. Why, what's wrong?"

Horatio sighed. "We had an argument and she left. She said she wouldn't be back tonight…she even packed a bag. I…I'm not even sure if she'll _ever_ come back…"

"Whoa…slow down H. Whatever you did, it couldn't've been _that_ bad."

"I didn't tell her about my ex-wife…and she showed up today. I've been paying her college tuition for five years, but Angel didn't know a thing. Until today."

Danté paused before saying, "Damn. Maybe it _was_ that bad."

Horatio sighed, mentally kicking himself again. "Not helping…"

"My bad. Well…I know my sis, H. She eventually comes around, no matter how many stupid mistakes I made. Remember, I practically beat her unconscious last year, but she still forgave me. I'm sure she'll forgive you too."

Horatio took a deep breath, considering this. "That's true. She can't hold a grudge for long…it's not in her nature."

"Right. She's got our momma's blood… Our mom could never stay mad for long. Angel can't either, no matter how much you may've messed up. I'm sure she'll be by later. When she does come, I'll try to calm her down and talk her into coming home tonight."

"Okay…" Horatio sighed. "I have to go to work soon, but you'll call my cell if she comes over?"

"Yep. In the meantime, calm down, H. You sound like a nervous wreck."

Horatio chuckled nervously. "Right. I'll do that. Thanks, Danté."

"No prob, Horatio."

* * *

Angel sighed as she gazed down at the dolphins that swam around in their tank beneath her. She leaned on the railing of the balcony, trying to enjoy the scenery. Instead, she found herself growing even more depressed. She told herself she'd come here with her husband once the babies were born. Now she didn't even want to think of that man, that Horatio Caine. She remembered back to their wedding day, how genuinely happy she was. Now, a mere four and a half months later, she found she was absolutely miserable. She'd told him she'd forgiven him for all the differences they had over the past few months, yet now she realized she hadn't really forgiven him at all.

She really wanted to forgive him and move on. But part of her was terrified to know what would happen next if she _had_ forgiven him. If she let these things go, what else would come up? Would something else push them further apart? Was Horatio hiding anything else from her? Did she even know who he was anymore?

This just wasn't fair! After all she'd gone through, after her dark childhood and almost equally gloomy early-adulthood, she thought she could finally have a happy life with Horatio. Yet even that was slipping away from her. It brought her back to the thoughts that ran through her mind the day her brother was buried. Who did she have left on this earth? Who could she depend on?

She felt she couldn't depend on Horatio anymore, not completely. Not after he'd hurt her so much. She found she couldn't bring herself to fully trust him anymore, either. Her brothers were there for her now, yet trying to move past all the pain they caused her over the years wasn't exactly easy. She loved them, she really did; however, she couldn't help but remember how things used to be, back when they absolutely hated her. And it made her wonder—did they truly have a change of heart? Or were they just getting along with her because they felt obligated to do so after finding out the truth about their father? How could she trust them?

How could she trust _anyone_?

Angel's lower lip trembled as tears sprung to her eyes. As she gazed down at the concrete several stories below her, she realized a small part of her wanted to jump. She talked herself out of it moments later, telling herself she couldn't take the lives of her babies just because she was feeling upset.

"Angel?" a feminine voice broke Angel's suicidal thoughts.

The Caine woman looked up to see Alexx Woods standing next to her. Angel frantically tried to dry her tears, somehow hoping Alexx wouldn't notice. She didn't realize it was too little, too late. Alexx lifted a hand to wipe a stray tear that slid down Angel's face.

"Sugar, what's wrong?" she asked.

"I, uh…n-nothing," Angel stammered. "Nothing really. Just pregnant-lady hormones." She forced herself to laugh slightly to make her half-lie more convincing.

"I know what that feels like. I've been there," Alexx said with a genuine smile. She gestured to two teenagers who stood in front of a fish tank nearby. "Twice."

Angel laughed again, this time for real. "How old are they?"

"My girl, Jamie, is sixteen and my baby boy, Bryan, is thirteen," Alexx answered. "They kept whining about how they were too old and too cool to come to the aquarium, but they look like they're having fun to me."

"And to think, I'll be in the same situation in about thirteen years."

"It goes by quicker than you think," said the elder woman. "Just cherish every moment you have with them when they're young. 'Cause believe me, honey—they grow up _**too**_ fast."

Angel twitched a half smile, trying to forget that she was seriously considering suicide just a few minutes before. Her thoughts returned, though, when Alexx asked,

"So where's Horatio?"

The younger woman flinched. She looked down to the ground as she tried to come up with a story. "He, uh. He's getting ready for work. He had to go in today."

Angel saw Alexx glaring at her in her peripheral vision. The elder woman didn't say a word, only stood there silently and stared.

Growing uncomfortable, Angel decided to change the subject. "Is that your husband?" she asked as she pointed to a man who stood near the two teens.

"Yeah," Alexx replied. "Henry. We'll be celebrating our twentieth anniversary this August."

"Wow…twenty years," Angel said, sighing softly. "What's your secret?"

"The secret?" Alexx replied, giving a small smile. "Well I would say somethin' like communication and trust. But the truth is that shouldn't be a real 'secret' at all. It's just things that come naturally."

Angel's face fell as she remembered how unnatural it became to communicate and trust her own husband recently. She dropped her head, exhaling another breath.

"So if he did something to betray your trust, would you forgive him?" Angel asked. She wasn't aware that she'd vocalized her question until after she heard Alexx respond.

"Well, yes," the older woman said without hesitation. "Sure, I'd be upset for a little while, but in the end I'd forgive him. Because I love him, and I love what we have together."

Angel closed her eyes and thought for a moment, considering this. Would things between her and Horatio really be okay? Could she really forgive him and move on?

"Mom, c'mon!" Bryan called as he approached them. "There's this show at the stingray exhibit and I don't wanna miss it!"

"I'll be right there, baby. You go on, I'll catch up with you all," Alexx told her son. The teen walked away with his father and sister, heading towards the stingray exhibit. Alexx then turned to Angel, asking, "Is everything okay, baby?"

Angel didn't respond at first. Instead, she stared back down to the concrete below her. After a long pause, she said, "I'll be fine."

The elder woman nodded and rubbed Angel's shoulder. "Well you have my cell number if you ever need to talk. My phone is always on, sugar."

Angel smiled as she looked back up to gain eye contact with the coroner. "Thank you, Alexx."

"You're welcome, honey," Alexx replied. She leaned over to hug the younger female before the two said their goodbyes and Alexx caught up with her family.

* * *

It was about five in the evening, and Calleigh was just finishing her weekend shift. Horatio had called her in for work that evening to help out with some cases. Although her shift was done, Calleigh sensed she needed to stay a bit longer. Not for any professional reasons, but to talk to her supervisor about his personal issue. He wouldn't admit it, but Calleigh knew Horatio well enough to know that something was wrong. He seemed incredibly distracted during their shift, and he rarely talked all day. It didn't seem like him at all. She figured he had to talk to someone and was willing to spend a little extra time to be that listening ear if he needed her.

The blonde strode towards Horatio's office, seeing him sitting at his desk. He was staring down at a picture—most likely a picture of him and his wife on their wedding day. By the saddened expression on his face, Calleigh figured that Horatio was upset about something in their marriage.

Calleigh knocked on the office door, causing Horatio to look up to her.

"You're heading out?" H asked.

"Soon," Calleigh replied, walking across the room and sitting at the chair facing him. "But right now I just want to ask…how are things going with you?"

"With me?" Horatio said, appearing confused for a moment. "Why?"

"You just haven't been acting like yourself today. You've seemed distracted, that's all."

The redhead sighed, looking back down to the picture on his desk. "Oh," was all he said.

"You never answered my question," Calleigh continued. "What happened?"

Horatio's eyes never left the photograph in front of him. "I messed up," he said softly. "And I'm not sure if Angel will ever forgive me."

"What'd you do?"

"Remember Melissa?"

Calleigh nodded. "Your ex-wife, right?"

"Yes. Well she came to collect her last tuition check, and Angel answered the door."

The blonde paused. "Don't tell me she didn't know you're still paying Melissa…"

"She didn't know about Melissa _period_. Imagine how shocked she was to learn that I have an ex-wife…from my ex-wife herself."

"I imagine it would be pretty upsetting," Calleigh said with a dry smirk.

"She was _very_ upset. She left and told me she wasn't coming back tonight. I'm scared she may _never_ come back."

"I doubt she'll leave you for good, Horatio," Calleigh responded. "I've been put in that situation before, with Eric. He had a pregnancy scare back when he was in high school, but he never found out whether the girl was pregnant with his child or not. The woman managed to track him down last year and came to the lab. But Eric didn't tell me any of this. I had to find out myself, and I threatened to leave him. I didn't though, because I realized I loved him too much to do that. And I know Angel loves you, so she won't just up and leave you. She loves you too much for that."

Horatio managed to smile slightly. "I guess she wouldn't really leave me for good. But I still feel bad about hiding this from her for so long."

"It wasn't a bright idea, I'll admit. But you didn't mean to hurt her, and I'm sure she understands that. Just give her some time; she'll come back."

Horatio nodded. "Hopefully sooner rather than later."

* * *

About an hour later, Angel arrived at Danté's place. Her plan to calm herself at the aquarium failed, even after her talk with Alexx. In fact, since her talk with the coroner, Angel had to talk herself out of suicide at least three more times. She wasn't so sure why she thought a talk with Danté would calm her nerves, but she figured anything was better than wallowing in her depression.

Danté apparently saw her coming, for he met her at the door before she could ring the doorbell.

"Hey, sis," he said cheerfully. "How ya feelin'?"

Angel frowned at her brother's uncharacteristically friendly behavior. "Did Horatio talk to you?"

Danté grinned. "He did, but I still want to know how you're feelin'. Off bed rest, I see?"

Angel rolled her eyes as she pushed by her brother to enter his house. "You can stop pretending to care about me now, Danté."

Danté gave a genuine frown as he closed the front door and followed his sister. "What are you talkin' 'bout, Ang? I really _do_ care about you."

Angel nodded skeptically. "_Right_. So what did Horatio tell you?"

"Just that he and you got into it. He sounded really upset, too."

"Not as upset as I am…" Angel muttered as she slunk down onto the couch.

Danté took a seat next to her. "Yeah. He mentioned you were pretty pissed. You wanna talk about it?"

"No," Angel replied automatically.

The Lopez brother nodded. "Okay. So what _do_ you wanna talk about?"

Angel paused for a moment before saying, "I want to talk about A.J."

"Mm-kay. What about him?"

"Do you miss him?"

"Of course I miss 'im, Ang. I miss him every day."

"I miss him, too," Angel said as she shifted her gaze from her brother to directly in front of her, not really looking at anything. "Sometimes I wish I were with him."

Danté was about to speak, but Angel continued; "Things were so much better when A.J. was around. Sometimes it feels like he cared about me way more than Horatio does now."

The male placed his hand on his sister's shoulder. "Oh, c'mon, Ang. You don't mean that. You're just pissed off at H right now, that's all. But he does really care about you."

"Sometimes that's hard to believe," Angel said, surprising herself with the harshness of her own words. "Sometimes I think the world would be better off if I were dead like A.J. Maybe then I'd be happy."

Taken off guard by the seriousness in Angel's tone, Danté sat idle in his seat for a moment. He sensed something very odd by his sister's strange behavior and an unpleasant theory crossed his mind. He hesitated vocalizing it, but as he saw Angel staring out into space, he decided to ask anyway.

"You're not thinkin' of…_offing_ yourself…are you, Ang?"

Silence seized the room. Although Angel remained wordless, her silence was answer enough in Danté's mind.

"Angel, please don't tell me you're serious," the man said, genuinely growing fearful.

After another long pause, Angel smiled falsely, shaking her head.

"Don't be silly, Danté. I would never do that," she said, though her tone clearly lacked sincerity.

"Ang, I'm bein' serious. You're really not thinking of killin' yourself, are you?"

"Danté…" Angel began, but didn't finish. She heaved a heavy sigh before continuing. "I'm not going to kill myself. I'm upset, but I wouldn't kill myself over it. I'm fine, 'kay? Drop it."

Danté wasn't convinced. "You know you can talk to me about anything, right? I mean, I ain't no Dr. Phil, but I'm here to listen if you need me."

"I'm fine, Danté," Angel replied. "I'm just tired. Can I stay here and take a nap? Then I'll decide whether I feel like going home to Horatio or not."

The Lopez brother nodded. "Sure thing, Ang. You can go sleep in my bed. My room's a mess, though."

Angel grinned. "Is that _really_ anything new?"

Danté shoved his sister playfully. "Shut up, Ang. Not everybody's an OCD neat-freak like you are." Angel only shook her head as she rose from her seat and started for the master bedroom. Before she could leave the room, Danté said, "Hey, speakin' of which, don't go organizin' my stuff when you get there. I like my things the way they are. Just clean a spot off the bed so you can lie down. And _please_ don't go messin' with my clothes and shoes again. Last time you went in my closet, I couldn't find my coaching uniform for _weeks_."

"R'lax, Danté," Angel replied. "I'm only going to take a nap. I'm too tired to deal with your messy room anyway."

As she continued down the hallway, Angel's playful grin disappeared. She wasn't entirely sure how truthful she was being when she told her brother that she couldn't kill herself. She'd be lying if she said she hadn't thought of the different ways she'd go through with it. In fact, she even thought of what she'd say if she decided to leave a note. Never before had she thought so much about killing herself, not once in her twenty-eight years of life.

And to be honest, it scared her. She wasn't used to being this depressed, neither after the countless times her father molested her as a child, nor after he killed Andrés, Jr. and raped her again. In the past when she got depressed, she told herself that she was stronger than that, and that if she got through her horrid childhood, she could get through anything.

But why was it that difficulties in her marriage changed her whole perspective? Why was getting through her arguments with Horatio so hard on her? Dozens of questions swarmed around in Angel's mind as she lay in her brother's bed as tears welled in her eyes once more. The woman closed her eyes as she cried herself to sleep.


	14. 13: Lovers' Quarrels

Chapter 13: Lovers' Quarrels

* * *

_**Saturday, July 2, 2005**_

Horatio pulled into the garage late that evening, only to find that Angel hadn't returned. Danté said he'd call as soon as he heard from Angel, but it was nearly nine o'clock and he hadn't received a call yet. He'd checked his personal cell phone every single chance he had, yet it was all to no avail. Angel was still gone, and he was still uncertain if and when she'd return.

The redhead sighed sadly as he slunk into the house. Something told him that he should try and eat something, considering that he hadn't eaten since he left for work early that afternoon. But as he made it into the kitchen, he realized he didn't have the appetite to eat anything. Horatio went to fill Panda's food bowl and called the kitten to come eat. He then left for the master bedroom, losing himself in his thoughts.

He only wanted to protect his wife from getting hurt or upset over trivial matters. Yet over the past few months, he only had upset her even more. First he accused her of cheating, then he failed to mention their money issues to her, and now he kept his ex-wife a secret from her for over a year. How could he have been so stupid? Horatio wasn't sure what came over him during the past few months. If only he could've gone back to the beginning when they first met; if he would've done things differently, maybe he wouldn't have hurt her so much.

Hours passed without word from Danté or sign of Angel. It was nearing midnight, and Horatio figured Angel wouldn't come back that night. Since he had to work the following day, he figured he should try to get some sleep. Hopefully Angel would show in the morning before he left.

Horatio was about to turn in for the night when he heard the front door open. Moments later, Angel appeared in the doorway.

The lieutenant was at a loss for words as he watched his wife cross the room. She slowly approached him, sitting next to him on the bed. As Horatio gazed into Angel's eyes, he could clearly see the hurt he caused her by the dark look in her coffee-hued irises. He was expecting her to say something like she was leaving for a while…or for good, at that. But he was completely confused when she finally opened her mouth and said,

"I forgive you."

The redhead frowned in disbelief. "You…you _do_?"

Angel abruptly drew him in for a kiss. She kissed him long and hard, yet Horatio noticed something off. The passion that was normally there was missing. It didn't feel like he was kissing his wife, the Angel that he fell in love with. Instead, it felt like he was kissing a complete stranger.

As she finally pulled away, Angel murmured, "Yes…yes I forgive you."

Horatio said nothing. Something was wrong, he could tell. He was utterly perplexed on why his wife was acting so strange, and his confusion worsened when Angel began kissing him again. She quickened her pace, kissing him deeper as her hands wandered over his thin frame. She briefly pulled away to tug off his tee before drawing him back in and peppering kisses down his now-naked torso.

"Love," Horatio tried to intervene. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Angel didn't respond. Instead, she reached over to yank off his boxer shorts. He winced as she grabbed hold of him roughly—a tad too roughly. She still hadn't answered his question, and he soon realized she never would. She quickly undressed herself and slid on top of him.

Horatio grunted as excruciating pain attacked his body. It wasn't like he'd never had rough sex with Angel before. But this instance was much different than anything he'd ever experienced with his wife. Usually their rougher love-making sessions involved an ample amount pain that was barely noticeable due to the larger quantity of sheer pleasure that compensated for it. Yet this time, Horatio didn't feel pleasured at all. Her thrusts were unnatural, almost mechanical. The way she held him—or rather, lack thereof—was unusual, too. And the redhead could tell by the awkward expression on his wife's face that she wasn't really enjoying herself either.

Horatio called his wife's name once, hoping she'd hear the displeasure in his tone. She didn't seem to notice, though. She actually appeared distant, almost in a trance. She wasn't looking at him, either; no, her gaze was directed at the wall on the opposite side of the room. Horatio said his wife's name again, this time telling her that she should stop. She still didn't hear him. Finally, the male reached up to hold his wife in his arms, pulling her off of him. Angel blinked and suddenly appeared confused, as if she couldn't tell he wasn't enjoying himself.

"What are you doing?" she asked breathlessly.

"I could ask you the same thing," Horatio retorted.

Angel looked down to the floor, moving her hands from her husband's thighs to her own.

Upon her silence, Horatio continued, "Sweetheart, are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Angel said automatically.

"Then why are you acting so strange?"

"What's the damn point of askin' me a question if you're not gon' believe me?" Angel barked.

Horatio sighed, bringing a hand to massage his temple. "Love, I don't want to argue with you."

"Apparently you don't want to make love to me, either," Angel muttered.

"You call what you just did 'making love'?" Horatio shot back, unaware that he was yelling. "I didn't feel any _love_ in anything you just did."

The female closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.

Horatio sighed. Speaking much more softly this time, he said, "Angel if you're still upset with me, I understand. But you don't have to pretend like you're not just to make me feel better."

"I…I'm not upset with you, Horatio," Angel murmured, though her shaky tone suggested otherwise.

Silence seized the room. After a long pause, Horatio said, "I think I should sleep on the couch tonight."

The woman didn't object at first. After the redhead redressed himself and started to leave, though, she said, "Horatio, wait."

The male turned around. Angel's gaze was fixed directly on him. "Can you at least…hold me?"

Horatio came back across the room and sat next to his wife. He pulled her into his arms, gently caressing her bare shoulder. He slowly lay down with her, doing nothing but holding her in his arms until the both of them drifted off to sleep.

* * *

_**Sunday, July 3, 2005**_

Early the next morning, Horatio woke up to find Angel's side of the bed empty. Part of him wondered if his strange encounter with his wife the night before was all a dream, yet as he saw Angel's purse hanging on the doorknob of their door, he realized it was all real. He got up and made his way into the kitchen, which is where he found Angel in front of the coffee pot. She saw him in her peripheral vision and turned to greet him with a smile.

"Good morning, baby," she said, unusually cheerful at this hour.

"G'morning, love…" Horatio said slowly.

"I know you have to go to work in a few hours, so I made coffee for you. I was about to start on breakfast, too."

"Thank you…" He paused. "Are you…?"

"Oh, I'm fine, sweetheart," Angel replied before he could finish his question. "About last night…sorry. I guess it was those crazy pregnant-lady hormones. I hope I didn't hurt you."

Horatio _did_ feel achy all over, and there was soreness in his crotch area was that was a bit uncomfortable. But seeing as she was in a good mood, he figured that wasn't the best thing to vocalize right now.

"I'm fine love," Horatio responded. "I'm just glad you're happy."

Angel came over to give him a peck on the lips. "Of course I'm happy. You make me _very_ happy."

There was a large part of Horatio found Angel's drastic attitude change rather peculiar. Yet as he recalled the fact that she _was_ pregnant and that strange mood swings weren't uncommon, he pushed that thought aside.

"You make me happy too, sweetheart," Horatio replied. "So, what's for breakfast?"

"I'll make you whatever you want," Angel said. "_But…_that's only if you do a little something for me in return."

The redhead chuckled, sensing this conversation just turned sexual. "And what is that?"

"Well…you owe me make-up sex. I think we should end our last argument the in the proper way."

Horatio smiled, pulling his wife into his arms. "I agree. Just as long as we can be much gentler this time."

Angel giggled. "Oh c'mon. Last night couldn't have been _that_ bad."

"I believe I have some bruises to prove otherwise, love," Horatio said half-jokingly.

Angel rolled her eyes playfully, folding her arms in mock anger. "Fine. I guess I'm not making you breakfast then."

The redhead only glared at his wife, wondering how long she could go without breaking down to her own proposition.

A brief moment later, Angel snickered. "Okay fine. I'll be gentle. But I can't promise I won't leave any more marks."

Horatio chuckled as he took his wife's hand and led her into the bedroom. "Somehow, I wouldn't expect anything less of you."

* * *

Eric rolled out of bed late that Sunday morning, only to find that Calleigh wasn't right next to him. As he got up, he heard the sound of her humming from the bathroom. Moments later, a fully dressed Calleigh Duquesne appeared before him.

"Mornin' darling," the southerner said cheerfully.

"Good morning…" Delko said slowly. He gazed over his fiancée's attire—a pair of white slacks and a beige tank. "You look nice. But it's too late for mass service…where are you going?"

"Work," the blonde replied. "Ever since I got that raise, I've been trying to get more done around the lab."

Eric frowned, confused. "Raise? What raise? You got a raise?"

Calleigh frowned as well. "Yeah, I did. About a month ago. Didn't I tell you?"

"No…you didn't," Eric said, sounding hurt.

"Oh Eric, I'm sorry," the blonde apologized as she began to walk away. "It must've slipped my mind. But the important thing is that you know now."

Eric sighed. Part of him was still hurt that his future wife had failed to notify him about something as important as a raise in her pay. He tried to push that thought aside, telling himself that Calleigh had been busy with hectic hours at work lately. She wouldn't have purposely failed to notify him about something so significant.

The Delko man went to the nursery to check on Sabrina, who was wide awake and playing with a rattle. The father smiled at his daughter as he scooped her into his arms. "You hungry, Bri?" he asked as he carried her into the kitchen.

Calleigh was making herself a cup of coffee when Eric got there. The male went to the cupboard to grab a box of Cheerios and two bowls. As he passed the blonde, he said, "So, when are we going to finish our guest list for our wedding? Y'know it's only three months away."

The woman appeared slightly surprised by her fiancé's words. "Only _three_ months? Wow, time really flies." She sighed and sipped at her coffee mug. "Well to answer your question, I'm not sure."

Unsatisfied with this answer, Eric tried to make a suggestion. "Well we could try tomorrow before we head to the park for the fireworks show."

Calleigh shook her head. "That's not going to work. I'm working tomorrow."

Eric frowned. "But Cal, tomorrow's Independence Day. Weren't we supposed to spend the day together? I even cleaned the grill so we could barbecue."

"I'm sorry, Eric, but I already told Horatio I'd come in. Besides, working on a holiday weekend means bonus pay. And extra money will come in handy if Sabrina ends up going to Highpoint Academy in a few years."

Eric said nothing as he watched Calleigh finish off her coffee. She looked at her watch and said, "Oh wow, I've gotta go. I'll see you two later. Love you."

Calleigh gave her daughter and fiancé a peck on the cheek before grabbing her purse and keys and heading out the front door.

* * *

Angel shifted uncomfortably on the couch as she tried to watch some TV that evening. Between her depression about her fights with Horatio and her wild mood swings, she didn't feel anywhere near emotionally stable. Not to mention she still had occasional contractions. Angel couldn't help but wish that her pregnancy would be over already, for the sake of her sanity.

The Caine woman wasn't sure whether her strange mood swings were a complete cause of her pregnancy or if it were something more serious. She remembered her late brother and how peculiar he acted at times, especially after he unofficially discovered he had a mental health issue. In realizing how many similarities she had to her brother before he was put on medication, and remembering the fact that mental health issues ran in deep in her family, Angel began to wonder…

…Was she having mental health issues like Andrés was?

Angel was shaken out of her thoughts when she heard a noise coming from the porch. The front door opened, and a rather tired-looking Horatio Caine entered. Angel watched husband make his way across the room to sit down next to her.

"You're back," she said with a small smile. She leaned over to kiss him on the cheek. "How was work?"

"Hectic. I had to question three suspects on three different cases, and all three of them decided they wanted to run as soon as they saw my badge. And tackling a man who's bigger than you is much more painful when your body is already sore from rough sex the night before."

Angel could tell her husband was tired, and she figured cracking a joke would help him lighten up a bit.

"Are you sure it's _my_ fault, or is it because you forgot your body isn't what it used to be?" she jested.

The redhead smiled dryly upon her joke. Ever since his forty-fifth birthday, Angel cracked occasional jokes about his age. Now her jokes came more frequent, and he still didn't think it was that comical. And because he was so exhausted from work, he his patience was worn thin.

"Very funny," he murmured sarcastically.

"Oh, c'mon, baby. It's not like it's a big secret you're gettin' up there. Plus…" she paused to trace over a frown line across his jaw with her finger. "…you've got some wrinkles."

Now irritated, Horatio snatched his wife's hand and pulled it down. "Stop it, Angel."

Angel smiled a little, still unaware of how genuinely irritated her husband was. "Babe I was just kidding. Can't you take a joke?"

"I tried to take the joke the first time you made it. And the second. But when it got to the third and the fourth time, it started getting old," Horatio retorted. "I'm tired, I had a long day at work, and the last thing I want right now is to be called an old man by my wife. _Again._"

Angel frowned. "I didn't know you were so sensitive about your age—"

"I'm _not_ sensitive about my age, Angel!" the male shot back, although his touchy tone suggested otherwise.

Angel's frown remained. "We're arguing again, aren't we?"

Horatio only sighed, mutely looking to the floor.

Upon her husband's silence, Angel continued; "I'm sorry, Horatio. I really didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I was just playing."

Stillness seized the room, aside from a commercial on TV. Angel felt genuinely remorseful for angering her husband and tried to think of a way to cheer him up. As an idea struck her, she leaned in to kiss his neck gently. She moved her kisses northward and nibbled on his earlobe, yet Horatio didn't react. Instead, he grumbled, "Are you sure my heart can handle this?"

Angel sighed as she pulled back. "Baby, I'm sorry," she said once more.

The redhead stood to his feet, still angry. He muttered, "I'm going to bed," before he left his wife alone on the couch.


	15. 14: Independence Day

Chapter 14: Independence Day

* * *

_**Monday, July 4, 2005**_

Horatio awoke that Independence Day morning to the sound of his alarm clock. He groaned as he sat upright. It was about six-thirty, and he was scheduled to be in at work in about an hour. He desperately wanted to sleep in that morning, especially after the rough day he had yesterday. Yet as he remembered his soon coming children, he slowly picked himself up out of bed. He winced as he finally made it to his feet. His body was incredibly achy, especially his back.

_Maybe Angel was right about me being old_, the redhead thought silently.

Horatio frowned as he recalled the argument he had with his wife the night before. Perhaps he was too harsh on her for teasing him. It's not like she was intentionally trying to put him down, he finally realized. It was just a part of her playful nature. He couldn't see that the night before, though, possibly due to a bad combination of sleep deprivation and irritation from running down suspects all day.

He turned around expecting to see Angel still asleep. Yet he found her wide awake, sitting upright and reading a book. She saw Horatio standing in her peripheral vision and looked up, smiling weakly.

"Morning, babe," she said softly.

Horatio matched her small smile with one of his own. "Good morning, love." He paused. "About last night…"

"Yeah, I'm really sorry, baby," Angel replied. "It was kinda insensitive for me to go on like that when you said you were tired."

"I _was_ tired…but I didn't mean to blow up at you," Horatio replied.

"It's fine baby," Angel replied.

An awkward silence hit the two for a brief moment until Angel said, "Do you want me to make you breakfast?"

The redhead smiled. "That'd be nice, love."

The woman nodded as she marked her place in her book and stood to her feet. She paused for a moment as a contraction hit her. It felt rather painful, more painful than any of the ones she'd had in the past.

"Love?" Horatio called upon seeing the blank look on his wife's face. "Are you okay?"

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, I'm fine," Angel replied as the contraction subsided. She hadn't felt such a strong contraction in a while, not even after all of the recent drama she'd experienced with Melissa. Why had the contractions returned? Angel wasn't sure, but she pushed those thoughts aside for the time being and started for the kitchen. Horatio came close behind.

"What do you want for breakfast, sweetheart?" Angel asked.

"I'm actually in the mood for one of your chorizo burritos. Just as long as you don't put parmesan cheese on it like last time…" The redhead grimaced at the memory.

Angel giggled. "In my defense, that burrito wasn't meant for you. I made it for myself since I was craving some parmesan cheese."

"Well hopefully this time I won't take the wrong one," Horatio said with a chuckle.

Angel smiled and turned to start her husband's breakfast. As she began, she said, "Are you going to be able to come over to Chris's place for the barbecue today?"

"I'll try and come by after I get off work, yes," Horatio replied.

"When do you plan on getting off?"

"Around one or two. I won't be at work too long…it _is_ a national holiday, after all."

Angel smirked. "Yeah, that's true."

The female finished off her husband's breakfast and handed it to him on a plate. The redhead received his plate and went to the table to begin eating. As she started on her own breakfast, Angel said, "We really should finish the babies' room soon."

"Well you're due in about a month, right? We still have time."

"Yeah…but even though the babies moved out of position, there's still a possibility that I'll deliver early," Angel responded. "And we still have a lot of things to do. We haven't even picked out the colors for the nursery yet."

Horatio pondered for a moment. "Okay, how about this. We'll stop by the hardware store to pick out the paint for the babies' rooms on our way home from the barbecue today. We can start painting tonight. Then tomorrow, we can go shopping for cribs, toys, and clothes."

"That sounds like a plan," Angel replied as she sat at the table next to her husband. "So what color do you think for their room? Yellow or green?"

"That's up to you, love," Horatio responded. "But if you can't choose, I suggest a combination of the two."

"Both could work," Angel replied. "All yellow with green accents. Then we could get white curtains…well actually, I think a cream or ivory color would work better with the yellow walls. Then we could get matching cribs, and maybe even lay down some carpet…it would have to be wool of course, and—"

"Uh, love? Let's try not to go overboard with this," Horatio intervened. "Remember we still have to buy food and clothes for the children. And we have bills to pay. Not to mention Melissa's check has to clear."

"Right…" Angel said. "You paid her already, right?"

Horatio nodded, "I sent the check off yesterday." He paused to look at his watch. "I've gotta get going. I'll see you later today, love."

"See you later, babe," Angel responded.

* * *

Eric sighed as he sat out on his porch with his daughter. This wasn't exactly how he'd envisioned spending this day. He was hoping he'd be able to spend time with his fiancée, yet he'd ended up spending yet another day alone with his daughter. He tried to enjoy the bonding time he had with his daughter, but there was still a part of him that felt something was missing.

That something was his future wife, the mother of his child. He hated having her away from home so much. He understood that Calleigh was Horatio's second-in-command and therefore she would have to work more than Eric himself would. But after several weeks of double overtime, Eric was feeling lonely. Not to mention he felt a tad inferior since Calleigh made much more a year than he did.

"Bri, I wish I knew what to do," Eric said as he watched his daughter play with toy blocks. "Your mother is always gone, and we barely have been able to plan our wedding yet. Our wedding is set for about three months and we don't even have our guest list planned yet."

Sabrina looked up to her father. Although she hadn't a clue what he was talking about, she sensed he was unhappy by the troubled look on his face. As an attempt to make him happy again, she held a toy block up to him, figuring playing with it would make him feel better. Eric couldn't help but laugh at his daughter's sweet gesture. The father sat on the blanket with his daughter and took the block to help her build a tower. The little girl giggled and clapped once her tower was complete. The sound of her laugh was enough to lift Eric's spirits.

"I love you Sabrina," Eric said as he leaned down to kiss his daughter's forehead. "Daddy loves you so much."

* * *

"Hey, sis, you okay?" Chris asked later that afternoon. It had been several hours since he picked her up and brought her to his house for the Lopez barbecue, and the eldest Lopez brother couldn't help but notice Angel was quiet since they'd arrived at his house. Seeing as she was always a chatterbox, Chris knew well enough that when his baby sister wasn't talking, something was seriously wrong.

"I'm fine, Chris," Angel replied. She knew she was lying, though. Her contractions had been coming steady all day, and they only got worse as the day went on. She couldn't eat anything all day—the pain was too intense.

"You sure, Ang? I mean, even though you're not on bed rest anymore, I'm still worried about ya'."

"I _said _I'm okay," Angel snapped, growing annoyed with his questioning.

Chris threw his hands up in surrender. "Okay, okay. You're okay. But if somethin's up, you'd tell me, right?"

"_Yes_, Christopher," Angel groaned. "Can you leave me alone now?"

"Okay, sis. But you've gotta promise you'll tell me if you start havin' contractions. I don't want you droppin' those babies here. Plus, you're sitting on Delilah's favorite chair and she'd be pretty pissed if you got blood all over it."

Angel groaned and rolled her eyes at her brother's joke. "Go away, Chris."

The brother only chuckled as he walked away.

A few moments later, Daniella approached Angel. Upon seeing her best friend coming, Angel said, "I don't care if you're pregnant or not. If you're about to ask me if I'm okay like Chris just did, I swear to _God_ I'll bop you dead in your mouth."

Daniella smiled. "R'lax, girl. I just came to ask if you were hungry."

"Not now," Angel replied.

Daniella's grin remained and she sat on the arm of the recliner that Angel stretched out on. Angel looked up to her best friend and said, "What's up?"

"Danté wanted to wait and tell everyone this once Horatio got here, but I just couldn't help myself. We found out the gender of the baby."

Angel grinned too. "So what is it? Boy or girl?"

The smaller woman leaned over to whisper, "It's a boy," in Angel's ear.

"Aw, congrats, girl," Angel said softly. "You pick a name yet?"

"Yep. We're naming him Danté Xavier Lopez, Jr."

"…I don't know why I asked. Knowing my big-headed brother, he probably was the one who chose to name the baby after himself, huh?" Angel jested.

Daniella gave the Caine woman a playful shove. "Hey! That's my baby daddy you're talkin' 'bout. Plus, _I_ was the one who said we should name the baby after his father."

"I'm just kidding girl. But seriously, I'm happy for you two."

Daniella beamed. "Thanks, Ang. But not a peep about this until Danté tells everyone. He's really excited to tell everyone himself and it'd kinda squash his pride if he knew I squealed before time."

"My lips are sealed, girl."

Silence hit the two women for a moment. Angel winced a little as another contraction hit her. They were getting worse and worse by the minute. Usually lying down eased her pain, but she had been lying on the recliner for over an hour and it didn't help one bit.

Daniella caught on to Angel's pained expression and asked, "You okay?"

Angel shot Daniella a look—a look that screamed _I'm about to punch you_. Daniella threw her hands up in apparent innocence and said, "Sorry, girl. It's a habit. I'll leave you alone now."

The thinner woman slowly rose from the arm of the chair and went into the kitchen in search of some food. Now alone in the living room, Angel shifted in her seat as an attempt to find a comfortable spot. She closed her eyes, and just as she started to fall asleep, a deep voice interrupted her sleepy state.

"Sleepy already, love?" Horatio asked.

Angel groaned as she reluctantly opened her eyes. "What do _you_ want?" she growled grumpily.

Horatio pouted, feigning heartbreak. "Does that mean you're not happy to see me? I worked on a national holiday and once I finally get off, _that's_ all you have to say to me?"

Angel managed to smile, rolling her eyes playfully. "What-_ever,_ Horatio."

The redhead chuckled. "Did you eat anything, love?"

"No. I'm not really hungry," Angel responded.

"Well, are you up to at least sitting at the table with us? Danté said he has something to tell us all, and I think he'd like it if you were there too."

"Fine…" Angel sighed. She lifted her arms up for her husband to help her out of the chair. Horatio reached down to assist her, and he couldn't help but notice how much heavier she was. He was pretty sure he wouldn't be able to pick her up anymore. He hoped that Angel wouldn't figure this out before she got back down to her normal weight.

Once the family was in the dining room, Danté started talking.

"Okay so y'all already know that Daniella is due at the end of the year. Well she finally had her first ultrasound and…it's a boy."

"Aw, I'm gonna have two little boy cousins," Jasmine said with a smile. "Whatcha namin' him, Uncle Danté?"

"Danté, Jr.," the uncle replied, smiling too. "But y'all can call him DJ."

"Somehow, I'm not surprised he named his son after himself," Horatio whispered to his wife. Angel giggled, giving him a playful slap on the shoulder.

"And since everyone is here…I have somethin' else to say," Danté continued. He looked to his girlfriend and said, "Dani. You, uh. You know I love you."

Daniella smiled shyly. Of course she knew this, but this was the first time he admitted it in front of his brothers. The fact that he finally did so meant a lot to her, probably more than Danté expected it to.

"I love you too, baby," she replied.

"Aw…little Danté's in love," Chris teased in a sing-song tone. Carlos and the other Lopez brothers snickered.

Danté ignored his brothers and tried to continue his thought. "Uh. Yeah. So…I want…I want, uh," he cleared his throat and blurted, "I want you to marry me."

"Wait…_what?_" Daniella said, figuring he was kidding. When she saw him get down on one knee and pull a ring from his jeans pocket, though, she realized it was all real.

"Daniella Renée Singleton…will you, uh…will you marry me?"

Silence seized the room. All eyes flew to Daniella, whose face went from shocked to completely blank in a matter of seconds. Danté was fearful that she was about to tell him no, but Horatio saw what really was going to happen as her gaze floated heavenwards. The redhead quickly stepped forwards to take his probable future-in-law in his arms as she collapsed.

Daniella came to only seconds after Horatio lowered her to the floor. Danté grinned down at the woman and asked, "Is that a yes?"

The female returned his smile with a much weaker one of her own and she whispered, "Yes. That's a yes."

Danté's grin widened as he slipped the ring on his fiancée's finger. While the Lopez brothers went to congratulate their now-engaged brother, Angel approached her future sister-in-law.

"My best friend is gonna be my new sister-in-law," she said happily.

Daniella giggled nervously as Horatio helped her back up to her feet. "Yeah. Wow I wasn't really expecting this."

"Yeah, I could tell," Angel said with a snicker. "Girl, I can't believe you _fainted_."

"Oh, c'mon Ang. You're tellin' me you didn't faint after Horatio proposed to you? After he served you a romantic dinner _and_ gave you a cute little kitten?"

"No, I didn't. But…we _did_ end up kinda tired and sweaty after I told him yes."

Danté, who had unfortunately tuned into the conversation in time to hear Angel's comment, grimaced at his sister's words. "Ew, ew, _EW!_ Damn, Ang, don't you know you're suppos'ta keep those kinds of things to yourself?"

Horatio chuckled, more at the memory of that day than at his in-law's comment.

Danté heard Horatio's mischievous laugh and said, "Ugh, both of y'all are _nasty_!"

Angel rolled her eyes as her brother walked away. To Daniella, she said, "I'm really happy for you, Dani. You've _got_ to let me plan your wedding for you."

Daniella frowned. "Uh…I'm not sure about that. You get kind of crazy when it comes to planning things out."

"'_Kind of_ crazy'? _That's_ the understatement of the century," Horatio mumbled, not intending for his wife to hear him.

She did, though. But right as she was about to respond, a strong contraction hit her. The Caine woman shuddered a breath as she nearly lost her balance. Horatio quickly placed an arm around her waist to keep her standing.

"Love, what's going on?" the redhead asked.

"Mm…nothing. Nothing, I'm just tired…" Angel mumbled. "I was standing up too long."

"You should sit down," Horatio said. He ushered her back into the living room and eased her down into the recliner. Once she was lying down again, he said, "Do you want me to take you home?"

"No, babe," Angel said. "I'm just gonna take a nap. You just go out with everyone else. I'll be fine in here by myself."

The redhead sighed in defeat. "Okay. I'll be back to check on you in a little while, love."

Angel nodded as he walked away. She tried to find a comfortable position, yet her constant contractions made it difficult to fall asleep. Something told her that she should be timing these contractions, just in case. Yet as one of her contractions subsided, Angel found she was much too exhausted to get up to look at the clock. Instead, she laid on her side and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Meanwhile, the Lopez brothers and their spouses were all talking about Danté's proposal. As the other adults talked, Horatio couldn't help but notice that Jasmine was sitting outside on the back porch by herself. Figuring she could use some company, Horatio went to join his niece.

"Mind if I sit with you?" Horatio asked with a smile.

Jasmine gave a half-smile as her uncle sat on the doorstep with her. "No, I don't."

Stillness fell over the two, aside from some occasional popping of firecrackers around from neighbors who were too eager to wait until dusk. After a little while, Jasmine heaved a huge sigh and said, "Can I ask you a question, Uncle H?"

"Of course you can," Horatio replied. "What is it?"

"Do you think I'm totally hopeless?"

Horatio frowned. "No, I don't. Why would you think that?"

"Well…Uncle Danté's gettin' married…Auntie Angel is married to you…and they both said they never wanted to get married. But I've always dreamed about getting married…and I don't even have a boyfriend. Jamal only went to prom with me so he could get laid at the after party. Now that that's over, he pretends like he doesn't even know me."

"Jasmine, not having a boyfriend doesn't make you hopeless. You're only eighteen. You have _plenty_ of time to find the right one for you. Besides, Angel is in her late twenties, and Danté is in his mid-thirties. They found the right ones for them later on in life, and that doesn't make you any different."

"I guess you're right…" Jasmine said. She sighed again. "I just guess wish I knew where I'm going in my life. All my friends are either going off to college or they already have full-time jobs. I got rejected from every school I applied to, even though I had a 3.0 GPA through high school. I'm going _nowhere_."

"You could always go to Dade Community College," Horatio suggested. "You could get an Associate's degree and then figure out what you want to do from there."

"Yeah…but I'm not really good at anything. I don't know what to major in."

"Well, what do you like to do?"

"I love music," Jasmine said. "And I love cooking. But what could you possibly do with either of those?"

"You could go to culinary school to be a chef. Or you could study music, and there are a lot of options with that major, too. You could be a music teacher…a musical therapist…or a professional musician, of course."

"Wow, I never thought of that," Jasmine said as she considered the possibilities. "Maybe I could start taking classes in the fall and figure out what I want to do."

Horatio smiled. "Sounds like a plan."

Jasmine grinned too. She leaned over to give her uncle a peck on the cheek. "Thanks Uncle H."

"Anytime, Jas."

* * *

Angel jolted awake as another contraction hit her. The pain was _extremely_ unbearable, worse than anything she'd ever experienced in her whole life. She shifted her position, hoping it'd go away, yet to no avail. Instead, it got worse. The woman tried to find her next breaths as she tried to sit up. As soon as she did, she felt a rush of something warm and wet slosh down her legs. Her heartbeats accelerated when she realized what that meant.

"_HORATIO_!" Angel screamed. "My water just broke!"


	16. 15: The Caine Twins

Chapter 15: The Caine Twins

* * *

_**Monday, July 4, 2005**_

Horatio was inside the house in a flash. He saw his wife hunched forwards in her seat, gasping for breath. Right below her waist, he saw that her dress was soaking wet. His heart raced as the concept finally clicked in his mind—his wife was in labor.

"Why the hell are you still standing there?" Angel moaned. "Take me to the hospital!"

The redhead blinked. After shaking off the shock, he rushed over to take Angel into his arms. He tried to pick her up, but after several moments of struggling, he realized she was too heavy for him to lift up by himself.

"Love, can you stand up?" he asked.

"Do I _**look**_ like I can stand up, _dumbass_?" Angel growled.

Horatio mentally kicked himself for asking that question. He wasn't sure what he could do though, since she was too heavy for him to carry. He tried to think up a plan, but sheer panic jumbled his thoughts.

"_Horatio_!" Angel screamed, thwacking his shoulder. "Take me to the hospital!"

"I'm trying! But…but I can't pick you up," Horatio said in a small voice.

"I got her, H," Chris said as he came into the room. He scooped his sister into his arms with ease and started for the door. Horatio stood idle for a moment before he quickly scurried after them. The three made it out to Horatio's Cadillac, and the lieutenant unlocked the door for Chris to put Angel inside.

"Are you taking her to Dade or Grace Memorial?" Chris asked as he buckled Angel's seatbelt. "Grace is quicker, only about a ten minute drive."

"Right…but how do I get to Grace Memorial again?" questioned Horatio, who was still apparently too panicky to think clearly.

Chris dropped his head, chuckling. "You spend all day every day with dangerous criminals, but you can't keep calm enough to remember where the local hospital is for your wife's delivery?"

Horatio's face flushed red in embarrassment. "I, uh…"

"Okay, how about this. Gimme your keys and _I'll_ drive. Right now you seem like such a nervous wreck that I wouldn't be surprised if you forgot where the gas pedal was."

Still flustered, Horatio fumbled for his keys. He appeared confused as he checked his pockets and couldn't find them.

"Oh for the love of _God_ will somebody _please _get me to the goddamned hospital! NOW!" Angel screeched.

Angel's frantic screaming only worsened Horatio's scatterbrained thought process. "I can't find my keys!" he cried.

Chris sighed and reached into Horatio's pockets for him. He quickly located the redhead's keys and rushed to the driver's seat. Horatio got in the back seat and buckled up as Chris keyed the engine and drove off.

* * *

About half an hour later, Horatio sat in a chair next to his wife's hospital bed. She seemed much calmer now, probably because she decided to get an epidural despite her prior opinion about it.

"How are you feeling love?" he asked as he gently caressed her hand with his thumb.

"Better," Angel murmured. "Thanks to the meds. No wonder Delilah looked at me crazy."

Horatio chuckled. "I'm just glad you're not in pain." He paused before adding, "Well…for the time being, anyway."

Angel sighed. "Please don't remind me. The last thing I want to think about right now is pain."

The redhead closed his mouth, doing a gesture of locking it and throwing away the key. Angel managed to smile at his playful gesture.

The Caine couple waited in silence for a while. The doctor had said something about checking to see if the babies were healthy enough to deliver, or if they would have to do a treatment to postpone her delivery.

A few minutes later, the doctor came in the room. After examining Angel, he said, "You are a few weeks early, but you're almost fully dilated now, so we have to go through with the delivery. I think the babies should be fine for a natural childbirth, but we're going to have to monitor you closely just in case…"

Angel frowned. "Just in case…_what_?"

"There is a slim possibility of complications… But after your last ultrasound, it looks like everything will be just fine. It's just a precaution."

Angel sighed in relief, as did Horatio. The doctor mentioned he would be back in a few minutes before he left the room.

As the doctor left, Chris and Danté entered the room. Delilah, Jasmine, and Daniella were all close behind.

"I'm about to have my first two baby cousins," Jasmine said as she held up a cell phone camera to snap a picture of her aunt. "How you feelin' Auntie?"

"Okay," Angel replied, "But yo' ass better delete that damn picture. I'm sweaty, my makeup is running, and I look a hot mess."

"That's just a mother's glow," Jasmine replied with a smile. "I'ma make sure all my friends get to know what my auntie looks like when she has my two baby cousins."

Angel glared at her niece. Part of her wanted to get up and snatch that camera phone out of Jasmine's hands; however, the Caine woman found she was too tired to really care. She'd grill her niece about it later, but for now, she just wanted to have her babies as quickly and painlessly as possible.

"I see you ended up getting an epidural," Daniella said as she stood near Angel.

"Yeah. I thought I could handle it…but I couldn't," Angel said with a sigh. "And I thought full-body waxes were painful."

"I just hope little DJ doesn't give me too much trouble," Daniella said as she placed a hand on her stomach.

The Caines and Lopezes talked for a while about the birth of the Caine twins and soon coming Danté, Jr. until Angel suddenly let out a loud moan. The family's conversations halted immediately and Chris went to go get a nurse. Not wanting to think about how much pain she would be in during her own delivery, Daniella told her best friend that she'd see her after the twins were born and made a cowardly dash for the exit. Danté, Delilah, and Jasmine left too, leaving Horatio and Angel alone in the room.

Angel snatched up her husband's hand, squeezing it tightly as another contraction approached. Horatio tried to ignore the fact that she was cutting off his circulation in his hand and coached her to breathe deeply.

Within moments, the doctor and two nurses were back in the room. They checked Angel's progress, and finally they instructed Angel to start pushing.

Horatio caressed his wife's cheek as she pushed. After a few more pushes, the sound of a baby wailing was heard. Horatio briefly pulled away to see a doctor holding his baby boy.

"It's Gabriel," he said with a smile, leaning back over to kiss Angel's forehead. Angel gave a half smile, exhaling an exhausted breath.

The doctor felt Angel's stomach and frowned. Horatio caught on to the doctor's troubled look. Trying not to alarm Angel, he pulled away to speak to the man and asked, "What's going on?"

"It seems like the baby moved out of position," the doctor responded. Then, to Angel, he said, "I'm just going to push on your stomach a little, Angel. We have to make sure your second baby is in the right position."

Angel frowned upon seeing the looks on her doctor's and husband's faces. "Is there something wrong?" she asked, though she wasn't sure if she wanted to know the answer to that question.

"We're not entirely sure yet. There's a possibility that the baby could be born breeched…" The doctor paused for a moment before saying, "We'll have to try and massage her back into position."

Angel's heart dropped upon her doctor's words. "Breeched?"

"Love, everything will be fine," Horatio reassured his wife, though he wasn't entirely sure of that himself.

"How do you know that for sure? He just said Seraphina could be born _breeched!_"

H returned to his wife's side, wiping sweat from her brow and kissing her forehead. "Shh, sweetheart. There's still a possibility that she'll be just fine. I don't want you to think about that, okay love? Let's just think about what we'll do once we take our twins home. I guess they're sleeping in the bed with us until we finish their room."

"…Told you we should've started sooner," Angel said, managing to smile. "I think we should go with maize-yellow walls and pistachio-green for the trim. That'll be cute."

"The way you memorize the different names of colors never ceases to amaze me," Horatio said with a small smirk.

"Well my mom was an interior decorator. She left all of her designing books behind when she disappeared, and my dad let me keep them," Angel replied.

Horatio's smile broadened and he tried to keep Angel talking as an attempt to keep her mind off of this potentially dangerous situation. Deep down, the redhead was absolutely terrified that his daughter would have some health troubles or even lose her life altogether. He could only hope—and pray—for the best.

Time passed incredibly slowly in the lieutenant's mind. Although Angel appeared distracted from the situation at hand, Horatio wasn't. He didn't show it, yet the fact that his baby girl's life was in imminent danger was the only thing on his mind. After what seemed like an eternity—yet was only a matter of about five minutes—the doctors told Angel to start pushing again.

Horatio pulled away from his wife to see if the baby was coming head-first. His heart nearly stopped beating when he finally saw two little feet come out first. Trying to mask his alarm, Horatio returned to his wife's side and pulled sweaty black strands of her hair that clung to her face. He kissed her forehead, smoothed her curly hair back into place, and said, "C'mon sweetheart. Just one more push…"

Angel inhaled deeply and gave one last push. Angel's body finally felt physical relief, but her emotional pain had only begun. As the doctor held the baby girl in their hands, Angel immediately sensed something was wrong. Although she couldn't see little Sera, she knew something was wrong simply by the silence that consumed the room.

And then it hit her…the baby wasn't crying.

"Why isn't she crying?" Angel asked anyone, panic creeping into her tone. She saw the doctor leave the room, holding her deathly silent baby in his arms. Her panic only worsened when she saw the troubled look on her husband's face. Louder, she near-screamed, "Why wasn't our baby crying?"

"Angel, sweetheart, calm down," Horatio replied.

"She's dead, isn't she?" Angel murmured.

The redhead didn't respond. Not because he didn't want to, but because he wasn't sure how to. He didn't know whether or not his baby was alive, to be honest. He had only caught a glimpse of the baby girl before she was rushed out of the room, but he could tell that she wasn't breathing.

"Horatio, answer me!" Angel cried. "Sera's dead, isn't she?"

The redhead leaned down to kiss his wife's lips. "Let's not jump to conclusions, okay love?" he finally managed to say. He hadn't stayed as calm as he hoped, though, as his voice was extremely shaky.

Angel squinted her eyes closed as sobs attacked her body. Horatio sucked in a breath to hold his own tears in. Exhaling slowly, he leaned down to kiss his wife again and whispered, "Everything is going to be okay, Angel."

Whether or not he actually believed his daughter _would_ be okay was a different story.

* * *

A few hours passed without a single word from the doctors. Angel had yet to see either of her children, and she would've been a nervous wreck if she hadn't had Horatio by her side. Horatio, on the other hand, was trying his hardest not to give up hope while maintaining a brave look for the both of them. In all honesty, Horatio himself was a nervous wreck. He was so panicky that his chest ached and his body trembled, but he didn't dare let Angel know this. No, he simply plastered a faux look of bravery to make her feel better. The fact that he wasn't feeling too good himself didn't matter to him, not now.

Finally, a nurse entered the room holding one of the Caine twins. Wrapped in a blue baby blanket, the couple could obviously tell that it was their boy, Gabriel. Angel gasped at the sight of her child. He was on the smaller side, yet he didn't look as feeble as a preemie. His complexion was golden brown, like the color of honey. What made Angel smile was his full head of curly red hair. The nurse placed the boy in Angel's arms, and he stared up at his mother with big brown eyes.

"He has your eyes," Horatio said with a smile.

"And your hair," Angel added, smiling too. She looked up to the nurse and asked, "Is our girl okay?"

"Yes," the nurse replied. "She's fine. She was born breeched, which caused her some breathing troubles at first. But she's doing fine now. We've just got her over in NIC unit for observation, just in case something changes."

The Caine parents gave sighs of relief. Horatio asked, "Can we see her?"

"She still needs to be under observation for a few more hours, so we can't bring her here just yet. I can show you where she is, though."

Horatio looked back to his wife, knowing she couldn't get up and walk after had just given birth to twins. Angel smiled at him and said, "You go on ahead. I'll stay here with Gabriel."

The father leaned over to kiss the mother on the cheek before getting up and following the nurse down the corridor. The lieutenant was led to another floor of the hospital before arriving in the neonatal intensive care unit. Finally the nurse stopped in front of a hospital room and said, "She's right in there."

Horatio warily approached the baby cot that sat in the corner of the room. There, attached to dozens of wires, was his baby girl. She was on the smaller side, too; in fact, she was a tad smaller than her brother. She had golden brown skin and curly red hair, just like her brother. She also had big, deep brown eyes that matched her brother's and mother's. As soon as Horatio's eyes met Sera's, the father was instantly in love. He knew from that moment on he was going to do anything and everything to protect his baby girl, no matter what it took.

The father reached down to his daughter and let her wrap her little hand around his index finger. His heart skipped a beat when she smiled at him.

"I love you, Seraphina," Horatio whispered as he caressed her little fingers with his thumb. "Daddy loves you so much."

* * *

A/N: Review please? Thanks!


	17. 16: The Caine Twins Part II

Author's Note: For those of you who don't know, a baby can recognize its mother's voice immediately after birth. It can recognize its father's voice after about two weeks after birth. It takes a little while for him or her to recognize faces—usually a few weeks. All this is approximate, of course, since not all babies are the same.

I'm sure the part with Horatio and the nurse will make you laugh, or at least smile. It made me smile when I wrote it.

I hope you enjoy, and **don't forget to review! **(:

* * *

Chapter 16: The Caine Twins Part II

* * *

_**Monday, July 4, 2005**_

Meanwhile, in another part of the hospital, Angel was bonding with her baby boy. Along with his hair color, Angel could see many other similarities between the baby and his father. Gabriel's little nose was the same shape as Horatio's. The two had the same thin lips, too. The baby's big brown eyes, however, were a trait inherited from Angel herself.

After having taken several psychology classes that dealt with human development, Angel knew that Gabriel was too young to recognize her face just yet. She did know that he could recognize her voice, though, and she decided to talk to her little boy.

"You really gave mommy a lot of trouble," Angel said with a small smile. "You were the one who was moving and kicking all around in my belly."

Gabriel looked up at his mother's smile and smiled too. Angel's grin broadened.

"Mommy still loves you though," the woman said. "I'm so glad you and your sister are both okay."

"There's my baby nephew," Danté said as he wandered back into the room. His fiancée was right by his side. The engaged couple came next to Angel, looking at their baby nephew.

"I heard what happened with Sera…is she okay?" Daniella asked.

"Yeah, she's fine. She's in the NIC unit for observation. Horatio is there with her right now."

Daniella and Danté both gave relieved sighs. Danté rocked back and forth on his heels for a moment before saying, "So…can I hold your little man?"

Angel couldn't help but laugh at the eager look on her brother's face. She carefully transferred the baby into his uncle's arms. Danté sat down in a chair near Angel's hospital bed. The Lopez man let his nephew grasp his finger and smiled down at the baby.

"Wow, Gabe…with a grip like that, you're _definitely_ going to be a good catcher. Maybe I should recruit you for Uncle Danté's little league team right now," the man said with a smile.

Angel smirked. "Well that's a whole new side of Danté that I've never seen before," she murmured to Daniella.

"He acts so different with children around. He's going to be a great daddy," Daniella replied, smiling too.

Angel recalled how she herself changed once she first held her goddaughter. She went from not giving children a second thought to yearning for a child of her own. That reminded her; she promised Calleigh and Eric that she'd call them as soon as the Caine twins were born. She let them know that she wanted them to meet her two little bundles of joy once they were born, yet she purposely had left out another detail as a surprise—she and Horatio were going to name the Delko couple as the twins' godparents. She would have called them already, but with all the chaos about Sera's breeched birth, she nearly forgot to.

"Hey, Dani, can I borrow your cell phone? I need to call Gabe and Sera's godparents," Angel said.

Daniella nodded and handed the new mother her cell phone. Angel took the phone and dialed Calleigh's personal cell phone number—she'd memorized it months ago after she'd invited the blonde to her bridal shower. Once Calleigh picked up, Angel filled her in about everything that had happened that evening about the twins' birth. She then let Calleigh know that she and her husband wanted the Delko couple to be the twins' godparents. Calleigh sounded overjoyed and told the Caine woman and told her that Sabrina Eric, and Calleigh herself would be at Grace Memorial as soon as possible.

* * *

Calleigh, Eric, and Sabrina arrived at Grace Memorial around nine that night. They ended up skipping the fireworks show to put together a care package for the new twins. Since the babies arrived almost a month earlier than expected, the Delkos knew Horatio and Angel didn't have a single thing for either baby. Once Calleigh got off the phone with Angel about a couple hours prior, she sparked an idea to help the Caines out with their new daughter and son.

Calleigh and Eric stopped by Wal-Mart and raided the baby section for over an hour. They bought a diaper bag along with about a dozen toys, two pacifiers, several bibs, a couple baby bottles, several outfits for each twin…and plenty of diapers, of course. The grand total was rather pricey, but Calleigh convinced Eric that it was for a good cause—their first godson and goddaughter. Besides, since Calleigh got a raise recently, they had some extra money to spare. In the end they hadn't really lost much, and the looks that they anticipated seeing on Horatio and Angel's faces would make it all worthwhile.

"Cal, do you think we might've gone a little overboard with all this?" Eric said as he hauled the diaper bag, which was filled to the brim with about everything _except_ diapers. He held a 96-count box of diapers underneath his other arm.

"Eric, we've been over this," Calleigh responded. She was holding a large gift bag that held the Caine twins' clothes and everything else that didn't fit in the diaper bag. Her own diaper bag was slung over her shoulder, and she held Sabrina in her other arm.

"Yeah, I know. It's for our godchildren. But where are we gonna put all this stuff once we get to the hospital room? How are they going to fit all this stuff in Horatio's little Cadillac? And what if they don't have room for all this stuff at their condo?"

"You can be really negative sometimes," Calleigh said as he pressed the button for the elevator. "I'm sure everything will work out fine. If all else fails, we can help them bring some of this stuff back to their place. And I'm pretty sure Horatio and Angel have room for everything."

Eric sighed, saying nothing. His real concern was not being able to afford this shopping spree. Yet he pushed that though aside as he remembered Calleigh's raise _and_ bonus for working over the holiday weekend. He then realized he didn't even know how much his own fiancée made annually. There was a possibility that they were much more financially stable than he initially thought they were. He made a mental note to try and discuss all of this once they returned home that night.

The Delkos made it to Angel's hospital room. They saw Horatio sitting in a chair holding a baby wrapped in a blue blanket. When Calleigh and Eric entered the room, they saw Angel sitting in the hospital bed holding the baby girl.

"There they are," Calleigh said with a warm smile. She set the gift bag on the floor near the side table and stood alongside Angel's bed. "I heard little Sera had a rough time. Is she doing better now?"

"She's doing fine," Angel said. "She wasn't breathing right at first, but they did some tests and gave her a breathing treatment. She's doing better, and she doesn't have to stay in the NIC unit anymore. But both of the babies need to stay here for a few days since they're both kind of small." The woman paused. "You would think that after all of the food I ate while I was pregnant with them, they would've been bigger than this."

"Makes you wonder where they put it all, huh," Calleigh said with a chuckle.

Eric set the baby bag and diapers down near the gift bag. Angel's eyes widened when she saw the pile of gifts on the floor nearby.

"Did you guys buy all this for Gabe and Sera?" she asked.

"Mm-hmm," Calleigh replied. "We knew you weren't quite ready for the twins to come yet, so we just got you a few things to help you along."

"'A few things'? Calleigh it looks like you bought out Babies 'R Us. You really didn't have to do all this," Angel said.

"I know, but we wanted to. We just wanted to do something for our new godkids."

"Thank you guys," Angel said with a smile.

"It was actually kind of fun going through and picking out everything," Eric admitted. "And Sabrina helped too. She picked out a majority of Sera's clothes. I was the one who picked out Gabe's clothes, though."

Angel looked down to the Delko child. "You helped Mommy and Daddy pick out clothes for your godsister? I bet you picked out some cute stuff, Bri."

Sabrina smiled back at Angel. She reached for her godmother, wanting the Caine woman to hold her. Calleigh took Sera from Angel's arms so Angel could set Sabrina up on her lap. "Let's see what you got for your godsister and godbrother, huh?"

Eric picked up the diaper bag and gift bag to show Angel what they got the twins. As she and Sabrina were going through the bags, Eric turned to Horatio, who was so preoccupied with watching his son sleep that he barely seemed to notice they had company.

"Hey, H," Delko said.

Horatio looked up, appearing rather startled. "Oh, hey Eric," he said with a small, sheepish smile. He looked back down to Gabriel. "Sorry…I just can't stop staring him."

"It's cool, H. I understand. I was the same way when Bri was born. So how does it feel to be a father?"

"Exciting…but scary," Horatio said with a slight chuckle. "Mostly exciting, though."

"Yeah, I think that's normal," Eric replied, laughing too.

The Delkos and Caines sat in the hospital room and talked for about an hour, which is when Eric and Calleigh observed the time and let the Caines know they had to get going. After Eric, Calleigh, and Sabrina left, Horatio and Angel were left alone with their newborn children in the hospital room. Horatio looked down at his little boy in his arms, who was still fast asleep.

"He's so precious," Horatio said softly.

"They both are," Angel added as she held her sleeping daughter in her own arms.

Stillness fell over the room. The Caine parents sat in silence, simply enjoying the company of their two little ones.

"I have to go to work tomorrow," Horatio finally broke the stillness.

Angel frowned. "There's no way you can hold off until next week or something? We still have to go shopping for the twins' cribs and car seats. Not to mention we have to paint the babies' room and buy furniture…"

"I know, love. But I already planned to work a full day tomorrow. The twins won't be coming home until the end of the week, so I'll try and use one of my breaks during the week to go pick up a couple car seats during the week. The other stuff will just have to wait for now."

Angel shifted her gaze from her husband's eyes down to Sera in her arms. She didn't say a word, only sat there and stared at her daughter.

"You understand the position I'm in, right Angel? We still aren't in a very comfortable spot financially. I need to keep working so we can _afford_ to buy things for the babies."

"I understand," Angel whispered. "It's fine."

Horatio clearly sensed the disappointment in his wife's voice. He leaned over to give her a kiss on the cheek. "I'm sorry, love. I really wish I _could_ stay here with you and the babies tomorrow."

"It's fine," Angel repeated softly.

An awkward silence consumed the couple. Horatio sighed uneasily as he realized it was getting late, and he needed to get home to get ready for work the next morning. He didn't feel comfortable leaving his wife alone in the hospital, though, and he definitely didn't want to leave his son and daughter at the moment.

Finally, Horatio decided he had to leave. He stood up and said, "I have to go, love."

Angel sighed sadly. She watched as her husband carefully transferred Gabriel into her right arm. He kissed both babies on the forehead before leaning up to kiss Angel's lips and saying, "I'll stop by tomorrow morning, love. I promise," before leaving out the door.

* * *

_**Tuesday, July 5, 2005**_

The next morning, Horatio arrived at the hospital bright and early. It was barely six o'clock. The redhead had been first instructed to wait until visiting hours began an hour later. Seeing as he had to be in at work across town around the same time, Horatio decided to turn on the charm and try and convince a nurse otherwise.

The lieutenant lingered near the nurses' station, clearing his throat to catch someone's attention. A young female nurse approached Horatio once she noticed him.

"May I help you, sir?" she said.

"Yes, I know visiting hours don't start for another hour…but I was wondering… Could I maybe slip in before time? You see, my wife just had twins, and I promised her I'd spend time with them all before I go off to work today. Would you mind helping me out?" Horatio crooned in a deep, silky smooth tone that could melt even the coldest heart. He tilted his head ever so slightly and flashed a row of his pearly whites at the young woman.

The nurse giggled nervously and blushed a little before saying, "Uh, yeah I guess I could let you in early. Just follow me…"

The redhead walked behind the young nurse, silently surprised at how incredibly easy that was. He must have underestimated the power of his own charm. He didn't know he still had it in him. He smiled to himself proudly, figuring this would make for a funny story to tell his wife.

When Horatio got to the hospital room, he saw his twins fast asleep in separate baby-sized cots near Angel's bed. His wife was sleeping too. He smiled and watched the three sleep peacefully.

He pulled up chair alongside Angel's bed and took his wife's hand in his, caressing it with his thumb. The woman stirred a few minutes later, smiling when she saw her husband sitting before her.

"Good morning," she murmured groggily. Her words were followed by a lengthy yawn, and she stretched before sitting upright in the bed.

"G'morning, love," H said with a smile. "How are you feeling?"

"I could be better," Angel responded.

Horatio frowned. "Why, what's wrong?"

"I'm just nervous, I guess. I want to be the perfect mother to our twins, but I don't know if I'll be able to do it all. Not to mention we're not ready for the babies at all. I mean, we don't even have cribs for our babies to sleep in."

"Love, everything will be fine," Horatio reassured her. "We can have the babies sleep in our bed until they have cribs of their own. I'm going to work through my break today so I can get off early. Once you're released from the hospital, we can go pick out paint and furniture for the babies. Since the twins won't be released until later this week, we can hold off buying car seats for a few days. But we can get everything done it time. Trust me."

Angel still didn't appear entirely comfortable with doing everything so last minute, yet she nodded and said, "Okay, I guess you're right."

Horatio grinned and leaned forwards to kiss Angel's full lips. "Things will be just fine, love."

Silence hit them for a moment until Angel came to a realization. "Wait…visiting hours don't start until seven. How did you get in here so early?"

Horatio chuckled as he remembered how easily he persuaded the nurse into letting him in early.

"I have my ways…" he said, giving her the same charming smile he gave the nurse earlier.

Angel smiled too before shaking her head. "You and that damn smile. It's no wonder you always get what you want when you try to convince me of something."

The redhead feigned innocence. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Mm-hmm. Sure you don't," Angel said skeptically. She was about to say something else, but she was cut off by the sound of one of the babies crying. The sound of the wakened baby's crying woke up the other twin, and soon the both of them were crying.

Horatio and Angel went over to them pick up. Horatio held Sera, while Angel held Gabe. The babies both quieted down upon being held. The parents chuckled in unison.

"I really hope it's going to be this easy with them as it is right now," Angel said.

"Somehow I doubt it will be," said Horatio.

"Yeah, me too. But it doesn't hurt to wish."

The couple sat on the hospital bed holding their son and daughter, talking about their future together as a family. Where the twins would go for preschool and kindergarten and when Horatio and Angel would start a college bond for each twin. The Caines talked about their twins for the rest of Horatio's visit until he glanced at the time. He placed his little girl one of Angel's arms and kissed the three goodbye before heading out the door and off to work.


	18. 17: Busy

A/N: Okay I've struck inspiration and I've been a writing machine lately. I have several chapters written in advance, so expect more frequent updates. ;)

This is a warning to everyone—there will be **A LOT** of drama coming soon. I still hope you all still enjoy it all, though! :)

**Read and review!**

* * *

Chapter 17: Busy

* * *

_**Friday, July 8, 2005**_

"Here we are," Horatio said with a grin as he opened the front door to his condo that Friday evening. He held Sera's baby-carrier-slash-car-seat carrying the baby girl. Angel was holding Gabriel in his carrier. "Welcome home, Sera and Gabriel!"

Angel smiled weakly in response. She wasn't as happy as Horatio was about bringing the babies home, mainly because she was so nervous about how to care for them while she was home alone with them. What if she messed up? What if her mistake was serious and the babies suffered because of it? It was rather pessimistic thinking, but Angel couldn't help but wonder if she could handle taking care of two babies at a time.

"I have a surprise for you two," Horatio said cheerfully to his babies. He turned to Angel and said, "And I have a surprise for you too, love."

Angel followed her husband to the nursery. She was surprised when she saw that the room was completed, furniture and all.

"Whoa," she gasped as she gazed around the room. There were two white cribs sitting side by side. One had pink sheets and a flower baby mobile for Sera, the other had blue sheets and a train mobile for Gabe. A dresser and changing table sat in the center of the room. Near the window in the corner was a white rocking chair. After taking it all in, Angel asked, "When'd this happen?"

"Today. I got off work early and bought it all while you were at the hospital with the babies."

"How can we afford this all?"

"I managed to scrounge up enough money for it all. I drove around town until I could find a place that was within our budget. Turns out the furniture store in Coral Gables was still had an Independence Day sale going on. I skipped having paid movers and got Chris and Danté to help me move it all in. We used Chris's pickup truck to bring it here."

"Wow. I wish I could've helped," Angel said softly. "Only thing I got to do was paint, and I barely even did that much."

"You chose the colors paint colors and gave me an idea of what style furniture you wanted for the babies," Horatio replied. "That was help."

Angel only sighed, looking down to the floor.

Horatio sensed Angel wasn't pleased, and he walked over to her to give her a peck on the cheek. "Love, don't worry about it. The important thing is that everything is finished, and we can move…our widdle twinsie-winsies into their new home, yes we can!"

Angel managed to smile at how Horatio's voice changed to baby-talk upon the last few words. She watched him tickle Sera, and the mother giggled when the baby giggled.

"You are so adorable," Angel said.

"She is, isn't she?" Horatio said with a grin.

"I was actually talking about you, Horatio," the Caine woman said, still laughing. "I've never heard you speak in baby talk."

Horatio chuckled as Angel leaned in to kiss him. "Love…not in front of the children."

"Well how about we put the babies to bed early and continue this elsewhere…?" Angel said with a mischievous smirk.

The male shook his head, still laughing himself. "It's still amazing how easily aroused you can be," he said as he took Seraphina out of her carrier and laid her down in a crib.

"Hey!" Angel said as she laid Gabriel in his crib. "I'm not _that_ bad…"

Horatio smirked and reached to pull a strand of Angel's hair behind her right ear. The woman shivered, letting out a soft moan.

"You were saying?"

Angel grinned dopily. "Huh?"

"Exactly my point," Horatio mumbled as he leaned in to close the gap between their bodies.

Just as the couple's lips met, Seraphina started crying. The Caine parents pulled apart and looked down to the little girl.

"Aw, what's wrong princess?" Horatio asked as he picked up his daughter. "Is daddy's widdle girl hungry?"

"It can't be that…she just had a bottle before she left the hospital," Angel said. "Maybe she's sleepy?"

"But she just woke up," Horatio reminded. "Remember? She fell asleep right after she ate and she was sleeping the entire car ride here."

"I thought that was Gabriel who was asleep," Angel wondered aloud.

Horatio sighed as he rocked the baby in his arms. As he held her, he felt that her diaper was wet. "I think I know what the problem is…" he said. "Go get the changing mat out of the dresser. It's in the first drawer."

Angel went to retrieve the mat and laid it down on the changing table. Horatio set the crying baby on the mat and undid her diaper. Both parents grimaced at the pungent stench that filled the room.

"Holy…_crap_ that smells," Angel said.

"Uh…I think you should go first," Horatio told his wife.

"What? Why do _I_ have to be the one to change her?"

"Well…you'll have to do it eventually."

"So will you!"

"Fine," the redhead said with a defeated sigh. "_I'll_ go first. It can't be that hard…"

As Horatio was trying to figure out how to change Sera, Gabriel started crying.

"Oh you've _got _to be kidding me…" Angel mumbled to herself. She walked across the room to Gabriel's crib and picked him up. "What's wrong, Vari? You can't be hungry since you ate just a little while ago…what does Mommy's little man want?"

"Maybe he's sleepy," Horatio suggested.

"But wasn't he asleep in the car?"

"No, that was Sera."

Angel huffed a breath and tried to think of a way to quiet the baby down. After shushing him and rocking him with no positive results, she struck an idea and went to find a pacifier. Gabriel quieted down once he had it in his mouth. Angel gave a sigh of relief.

"There we are," Angel said with a smile. She set the baby boy back down in his crib.

"I think I'm finally done," Horatio said as he closed up Seraphina's clean diaper. He held up the dirty one with one hand, pinching his nose with the other. "Now we need to figure out what to do with this."

"Ew… throw it outside."

"But love, we can't go outside every time the babies need a changing."

"Yeah we can. At least until we get a garbage can with a lid on it. Unless…you'd rather smell _that_ every time you come into the nursery."

"Touché. I'll take it outside now," Horatio said before he left the room with the soiled diaper.

Once the father was gone, Seraphina started crying again. Gabriel spit out his pacifier and started crying too. Angel reached down to put the pacifier back in the boy's mouth in hopes that he'd quiet down. Yet the boy only spit it back out again and kept crying. The mother sighed and picked Gabriel up with one arm and Sera in the other. She wasn't sure what to do, exactly. The only baby she had ever cared for was Jasmine, but that was years ago. And as Angel recalled, she always passed baby Jasmine over to Delilah whenever she stared crying. This time she couldn't pass the babies over to their mother, seeing as she _was_ their mother.

"What happened?" Horatio asked as he came back into the room.

"I don't know!" Angel replied, trying to rock both babies in her arms. "When you left, Sera started crying. Then Vari started crying too, and I don't have a clue what either of them want!"

"Here, give me Javari," Horatio said as he carefully took Gabriel from Angel's left arm. As Horatio tended to the boy, Angel turned her full attention to the girl. She went to the baby bag and pulled out a pink pacifier, hoping that would help. Sera stopped crying once she had the pacifier. Now that his sister was quiet, Gabriel stopped crying too. Horatio put the boy's pacifier back in his mouth, and the room was silent once more.

"I think he was only crying because his sister was crying," Horatio verbally observed.

"That's really going to make things more difficult," Angel murmured. "That means every time one of them is upset, the both of them will be upset."

"I'm sure things will be just fine," the Caine man said as he rocked the boy in his arms. In a matter of moments, little Gabriel was fast asleep.

"You're so much better at that than I am," Angel said softly as she noticed her son was sleeping. She mimicked her husband's movements, and soon enough, Seraphina was asleep too.

"You're not too bad yourself," Horatio replied just as softly, looking to his sleeping daughter.

The parents put their children in their respective cribs and quietly crept out of the room.

* * *

_**Saturday, July 9, 2005**_

Eric watched his daughter play with her toys as he waited for his fiancée to come home from work that Saturday evening. She rarely was home anymore, aside from sleeping at nights. Delko recalled that he never did get a chance to sit down and talk with Calleigh about their financial situation. They hadn't finished planning their wedding, either.

Eric knew he wasn't the only one who missed having Calleigh around. Sabrina constantly called for her mother throughout the day. She often would get fussy if she hadn't the chance to see Calleigh before Eric dropped her off at daycare in the mornings. Although Eric and Sabrina enjoyed each other's company, there was still something missing in their small family.

Calleigh.

Eric watched the clock for a long moment before finally deciding to call his fiancée. He hadn't heard from her all day, aside from bumping into her in the break room earlier when he was on his break.

Delko whipped out his cell phone and speed-dialed Calleigh's number. She picked up on the first ring.

"Hey, Eric," Calleigh said, sounding rather exhausted.

"Hey Cal…when are you coming home?"

"Not sure," she responded. "I have a lot of things to finish tonight. It's going to be late."

Eric sighed. "Of course it will," he muttered.

Calleigh heard her fiancé's comment and said, "Eric, don't start this. You know I'm busy right now. You know ever since I've been promoted to assistant supervisor, I have a lot of work to do—"

"Of course I know that, Calleigh!" Eric snapped.

"Then why do you still have such a big problem every time I tell you I need to work overtime?"

"Because I barely get to see my own fiancée anymore," Eric replied. "Not to mention Sabrina misses you a lot. All you ever do is work… Can't you just take some time off for once?"

Calleigh heard her fiancé, but she somehow thought his frustration ran deeper than not being able to see him all the time. She vocalized her next thought before thinking it through. "You don't have a problem being a subordinate to me, do you?"

"Wait…_what_?" Eric shouted, outraged. "You think this is all about you having a higher rank than I do?"

"Well…_is_ it?"

"No!" Delko exclaimed. "It's not like that, Calleigh!"

"Then what is the real problem?"

Silence struck the line.

After a moment, Eric sighed and said, "Y'know what? Forget it. You obviously don't get it. I'll see you whenever you get home. I won't wait up."

Delko snapped his phone shut before Calleigh could respond.

* * *

Calleigh looked down to her cell phone after Eric hung up. She was completely confused on what was bugging Eric so much. Anger mixed in with her bewilderment as she thought of their argument. She sighed irately and tucked her cell phone back in her lab coat pocket before continuing processing the evidence she had started before Eric called. She muttered a sting of curses to herself as she angrily processed evidence.

"You're still here?" Horatio's voice entered the blonde's thoughts. Calleigh glanced up to see her supervisor standing in the doorway.

"Yes, I'm still here," Calleigh murmured while violently tape-lifting fibers from a shirt.

She saw the redhead frown in her peripheral vision. "Is everything okay?" he asked.

"Everything is fine, Horatio," Calleigh replied automatically.

A hush fell over the room. Calleigh still sensed Horatio's eyes on her and she looked up to him. "What, you don't believe me? I'm fine, Horatio."

The Caine man nodded skeptically. "So I assume the evidence deserved to be thrown across the room?"

It was Calleigh's turn to frown. Horatio pointed to the floor, and Calleigh saw that several sloppily processed pieces of evidence lay scattered across the concrete.

"…It's a personal problem, Horatio," Calleigh said as she set the lifting tape down on the table. "I really don't want to burden my boss with it."

"That's okay," Horatio said as he crossed the room. "We're talking as friends right now. What's the matter?"

Calleigh sighed in defeat. "It's about Eric. He just called and got mad at me for working overtime all the time. I thought it was because I make more than he does, but he disagreed."

Horatio nodded. "Well, did you ever think that it was just because he misses having you around? You _have_ been spending more time here than at home lately."

The woman sighed again. "Well that's what he said, but I didn't think it was that simple."

"It might surprise you how simple us men can be," Horatio said with a chuckle.

Calleigh managed to chuckle with him. "Maybe I overthought this. But what am I supposed to do? I can't just stop working overtime. I have a few cases that need my attention, and working overtime is the only way to finish them all."

"I think Eric and Sabrina need you more than the cases do," Horatio said. "Take a day off and spend time with your family. In fact, take two or three. That way you can finish planning your wedding."

After considering the theory, Calleigh finally said, "Okay. As soon as I finish processing this, I'll—"

"The evidence can wait until you come back," Horatio cut her off, giving a small smile.

Calleigh grinned. "Okay. I'm off, then. I'll see you in a few days, Horatio."

Horatio nodded a goodbye as the blonde pulled off her lab coat and gloves and headed to the front desk to sign out.

* * *

Eric was taking Sabrina to bed for the night. He laid the little girl in her crib and covered her with a blanket before cutting off the light and closing the door. When he left the nursery, he saw Calleigh standing in the living room.

"Hey," she said with a small smile.

"Hi," Eric mumbled, not even bothering to return the grin. "You finish your case?"

"No," replied Calleigh. "But that doesn't matter right now. How are you?"

"I've been better," Delko muttered.

Calleigh approached the male to give him a peck on the cheek. Eric only sighed.

Upon seeing his expression, Calleigh said, "I'm sorry I've been blowing you off lately, Eric. I didn't know you really missed me so much."

Eric looked down to the floor. "Yeah. You just thought I was jealous of you instead."

"I know…I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were just frustrated with not having me around. I guess I'm just so used to being on my own that I sometimes forget it's not just me anymore. It's me, you, and Sabrina."

Silence overcame the two until Calleigh spoke up again.

"I'm taking a few days off," she said.

Eric's face brightened up a bit. "You are?"

"Mm-hmm. I need to spend more time with you and Bri. We need to finish planning our wedding and honeymoon, too."

Delko couldn't help but smile upon his fiancée's words. He drew her in, planting a kiss on her lips.

Calleigh giggled. "I take it you're not mad at me anymore?"

"You make it really hard to stay mad at you for long, Cal," Eric responded.

"I'm glad," Calleigh said, giving him another kiss.


	19. 18: Rest and Relaxation

Author's Note: I changed the rating from T to M because of scenes to come later in the story. (There's some stronger language and a _tiny_ bit of somewhat-descriptive yet not entirely explicative sexual content.) It was done more as a precaution, though. For the most part the story will be just as it has been.

* * *

Chapter 18: Rest and Relaxation

* * *

_**Monday, July 25, 2005**_

Angel crept out of the babies' room after putting the twins to sleep that Monday evening. It had been a few weeks since her two little bundles of joy were home, yet Angel felt anything but joyful.

She hadn't gotten a good night's rest since she left the hospital, seeing as the babies required a lot of her attention, day and night. Horatio helped out when he could, but Angel knew that with hectic double overtime shifts, he could only help so much.

With trying to settle things with her children constantly, she hadn't the time to eat properly, either. In fact, Angel couldn't remember the last time she ate more than one meal a day. Sometimes she wouldn't eat anything period, not once during the entire day. It gave her a few dizzy spells, but the fact that Angel had been rapidly shedding the pounds she gained while pregnant made her ignore the health risks. She could finally fit into her clothes she wore before she was pregnant. Nevertheless, she promised herself she'd at least one meal a day to keep herself from passing out.

But her main concern wasn't her own health. No, her main concern was how she would care for her twins while her husband was at work. She managed to get them both to sleep now, but on the off chance that one of the children woke up, she knew she would have some trouble. Whenever one of them cried, it always resulted in the both of them crying. And trying to quiet down two screaming babies at once was much more difficult than she initially thought it would be.

Angel knew she should try and eat something seeing as she'd skipped breakfast and lunch. When she looked at the time and realized how late it was, though, she figured she should just eat dinner when Horatio came home. It wasn't the healthiest choice, she knew. But she was honestly too tired to even care. She flopped down on the couch once she got to the living room and tried to rest, at least for a little while.

She tried to relax, but her mind was racing over the many things she had to do. She needed to take out the garbage seeing as the trashcan in the twins' room was full of dirty diapers. She also needed to think of what she was going to cook Horatio for dinner when he came home in about an hour.

Angel groaned. She only wanted a break from it all. And she really hoped that her break would come tomorrow, seeing as it was her twenty-ninth birthday the next day.

_I can't believe I'm turning twenty-nine,_ Angel said to herself rather sadly. _This is my very last birthday of my twenties._

"I'm home, love," Horatio's voice sounded from the front doorway. Angel looked up to see her husband crossing the room.

"You're home early… Damn it, I didn't start dinner," Angel muttered to herself. She struggled to pick herself up from the couch and stood to her feet. She swayed back and forth for a bit before gaining her balance and heading to the kitchen. Horatio followed her, noting how drained she looked.

"Angel, are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm…fine. I'm fine," Angel said with a slow nod, almost as if she were trying to convince herself. She rummaged through the cabinets for a skillet, though she wasn't sure what she was going to cook yet. "I'm sorry dinner isn't ready. I just put the babies to sleep and I tried to relax… I should've started sooner… Damn it…"

"Love, it's fine," Horatio interrupted her rambling. He pulled her into his arms, and she rested her head on his shoulder. "How are you feeling, really?"

"I'm fine, baby."

Horatio pulled away to look his wife in the eyes. He frowned. "You look horrible."

Angel pursed her lips. "Gee thanks."

"Have you gotten any sleep lately?" the male asked.

"It doesn't matter Horatio… I need to start dinner," Angel mumbled. She tried to pull out of his hold, yet she found herself stumbling backwards before flopping down to the floor with a _thud_.

Horatio quickly knelt down beside his wife. He held her in his arms, saying, "Angel, sweetheart, you need to slow down."

"I'm okay," the woman said as she tried to sit upright. "I just lost my balance for a second. I'm fine."

"Love, you don't have to lie to me. I think you should lie down for a while. I can make my own dinner."

"But baby—"

"I'm not taking no for an answer, Angel," Horatio said as he scooped the woman into his arms. He silently noticed she was significantly lighter than she was a few weeks before. He carried her into the bedroom. By the time he laid her down on the bed, she was half-asleep. Horatio kissed his wife's forehead and whispered, "Good night, love," before leaving out the door.

* * *

That night, Horatio finished off his own dinner and did the dishes. He peeked his head into the nursery to see that his children were still sleeping. He noticed the full trash can and took it out back. After coming back in the condo, he made his way down the hallway to the master bedroom. Angel stirred when he sat down on the bed.

"Sorry, love," he said. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"It's fine," Angel said with a yawn and sat upright. "What time is it?"

"Almost nine."

"Damn it… I should've taken out the trash earlier. The trash can in the babies room is full and—"

"I already took care of it, love," Horatio said.

Angel smiled. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

The redhead chuckled in response.

"So…" Angel said, giving him a cheeky smile as she laid her head in his lap. "What are we doing tomorrow?"

The male paused. He noticed she appeared eager for some reason, a reason unknown to Horatio.

"Well…I'm going to work tomorrow," Horatio responded. "I have to be in at eight."

"And later on, are you taking me to dinner, or…?"

The redhead frowned. "What are you talking about?"

Angel laughed, "Oh I get it. It's a surprise. Okay, but just remember, I love _Piccola Italia_. I hope you made reservations."

Horatio was still confused. "To be honest, love, I don't know what you're talking about. What is tomorrow?"

Angel's grin faded, and a look of pure heartbreak replaced it. She sat upright on the bed and looked him in the eyes. "You didn't seriously forget…_did_ you?"

Horatio sensed he would be in deep trouble if he didn't remember what the following day was. After several moments of frantically racking his brain, it finally hit him—Angel's twenty-ninth birthday was tomorrow.

"…Of course not," Horatio said, chuckling to make his lie that much more convincing. "I have something very special planned for you, love."

Angel's smile slowly returned. "You got me good, babe. For a second I thought you seriously forgot about my birthday."

"I would never forget my Angel's birthday," Horatio replied. He leaned in to give her a peck on the cheek. "I love you."

"I love you too, baby," Angel responded. Horatio stood up, grabbing his cell phone with him. Angel called after him as he was leaving the room; "Where are you going?"

"That's a surprise, sweetheart," Horatio called back. "I'll be back soon."

The redhead dialed Chris's number and went out to his car for privacy.

"Hello?" Chris said.

"Chris, it's H. I have a favor to ask of you…"

"What is it?"

"Could you babysit the twins tomorrow night? It's Angel's birthday and we need the place to ourselves…if you catch my drift."

"Knowin' Angel's nasty ass, I know _exactly_ what you're talkin' 'bout. Only problem is, though…Delilah n' me already had plans to go with Jas on a tour of Dade Community College tomorrow."

Horatio sighed uneasily. "…Oh."

A pause and then Chris said, "You forgot about her birthday until today, didn't you?"

"Well…yes," Horatio said shamefully. "I guess I was just so caught up in cases at the lab and trying to sort things out with the twins—"

"H, it's cool, I understand. Tell you the truth, it's happened to me dozens of times. I can't count how many times I forgot Delilah's birthday or our wedding anniversary. And we've been married for twenty-somethin' years. Just…don't tell Delilah, though."

"Only if you promise not to tell Angel," Horatio replied with a chuckle.

"I wouldn't do that to you, H," Chris said, chuckling too. "Okay…I think I can work something out. Delilah is in love with your babies, so I don't think it'd take much convincing to get her to stay home and babysit them while me n' Jas go off to the college."

"Thanks, Chris."

"No prob, H. Oh and a little advice—put her birthday on your cell phone calendar or somethin'. 'Cause next year you may not get so lucky."

Horatio couldn't help but laugh. "Okay. I'll do that."

* * *

_**Tuesday, July 26, 2005**_

Angel waited at home anxiously for her husband to return home from work that Tuesday evening. Delilah had come earlier and picked little Seraphina and Gabriel up to bring to the Lopez residence to "spend quality time" with them. She conveniently slipped in, "Oh, is it your birthday today?" Happy birthday!" before she left. Angel knew Delilah was in on Horatio's plan and she wondered what surprise her husband had in store for her.

The Caine woman couldn't count how many times she'd checked the window to see if Horatio had made it back yet. She felt giddy and antsy like a child on Christmas Eve. As she recalled how he surprised her last year, she wondered what he'd do for her this year.

A noise sounded from the living room. Angel got up to check if her husband was home, but she later saw that it was only Panda climbing up on the entertainment center. Angel sighed impatiently as she watched the kitten jump down to the floor. She managed to smile when Panda nuzzled her nose against Angel's leg.

"With all the excitement about the twins around, Mommy hasn't been paying you enough attention, has she Panda?" Angel said to the kitten. She scooped the animal into her arms and petted her, causing the baby cat to purr in delight.

Angel played with the kitten until she heard the front door open. Horatio came in the room with several bags in his hands. He smiled when he saw his wife standing before him.

"Happy birthday, love," he said. Angel set the kitten down on the floor and came over to give him a peck on the lips.

"Thank you, baby…" she said as they pulled away. She caught a whiff of a savory aroma as she lingered near him. Now curious what that smell was, Angel tried to peek into one of the bags her husband held. Horatio pulled back immediately.

"Ah, ah. No peeking. I want this to be a surprise. You go wait for me in the bedroom."

Angel pouted playfully. "Fine. I'll wait." She scooped Panda into her arms and carried her to the bedroom.

Several minutes later, Horatio came into the bedroom with a tray of food. Angel grinned as he sat the food before her.

"You went to Piccola Italia," Angel said happily.

"And I got your favorite—chicken parmesana."

The woman dug in quickly. It had been a while since she had eaten a full meal. The fact that she didn't have to cook it made her dinner that much more enjoyable.

After she finished her dinner, Horatio moved the empty plate aside. He then said, "For dessert, I got you some white chocolate."

Angel looked up to her husband, grinning mischievously. "You know I love your white chocolate…"

"I was actually talking about the _literal_ white chocolate," the redhead said, bursting into laughter as he pulled out a box of chocolates. "See? Candy."

Angel frowned, appearing genuinely disappointed. "…Oh."

Horatio pulled the woman into his lap. He stroked her shoulder gently and leaned close to her ear to whisper, "If it makes you feel any better…I can give you some of my _special_ white chocolate, too."

Angel's frown disappeared and the edges of her lips tugged upward into a ditzy grin. "Well happy birthday to me…"

* * *

_**Wednesday, July 27, 2005**_

Horatio crept out of the master bedroom just past midnight that night. Angel was fast asleep, probably worn out from the passionate love making session they just had. Horatio figured that he managed to make Angel's birthday special, despite having forgotten about it until the very day before. He realized that he owed Chris and Delilah big time, for without them, Angel's twenty-ninth birthday would've been a disaster.

He went out to the Cadillac to go pick up his twins from their aunt and uncle's house. Looking at the time, he was grateful that the notified the Lopezes that he might pick his children up late that night. Chris seemed to understand, especially after he mentioned how well he knew his sister. He also mentioned the phrase "she's a damn freak" several times, and Horatio honestly couldn't disagree with his brother-in-law. A smile crept onto his features at the very thought of Angel's "freaky" qualities, especially at the peak of her arousal.

Horatio shook himself from those thoughts as he finally arrived at the Lopezes. Chris must have been waiting for him, for he met the redhead at the door once he made it up the pathway.

"The twins are sleeping," Chris said softly. "They already had their bottles, too. I think they should be set until tomorrow."

"Thanks, Chris. I owe you one."

"It's no problem, H. Just don't forget what I said about puttin' her birthday in your phone calendar."

"You don't have to tell me twice," Horatio said with a soft chuckle. Chris helped put both babies in the backseat of Horatio's Cadillac. Once they were buckled in, the two men said their goodbyes and Horatio headed back across town for the condo.

* * *

Angel groaned as she rocked her crying baby boy in her arms later that day. She enjoyed her day off from caring for the twins. Now that her birthday was over with, it was time to go back to her normal routine of changing, feeding, and cleaning up.

"Gabriel Javari…will you _please_ stop crying?" Angel begged the little boy. She'd tried just about everything. She'd tried feeding him, yet he wasn't hungry. She gave him his pacifier, yet he only spit it back out. When she checked his diaper, she found he didn't need to be changed. Now she was trying to rock him to sleep, but he just wouldn't doze off.

And as if the mother wasn't frustrated enough, Sera started crying too. Angel wanted to scream. Everyone else made parenting look easy—Chris and Delilah, Eric and Calleigh, even Horatio. Why was it that Angel herself was having such a hard time?

Angel set the boy back down in his crib and turned on his baby mobile. The little boy finally stopped crying when he saw the toy trains spin around slowly. Angel gave a sigh of relief. She then went to Sera's crib and did the same thing for her. Now that both babies were quiet, Angel slunk down into the rocking chair in the corner.

As both babies drifted off to sleep, Angel started to doubt her ability to be a good mother to her twins. Of course she knew it wouldn't be easy, but she definitely didn't expect it to be this difficult. And for a brief moment, she wished she would've had her tubes tied after all.

The woman shook that thought from her head immediately. _I shouldn't even think like that,_ she thought silently. _I love my babies. I can do this…it'll just take some time._

Angel rocked in the chair, trying her best to convince herself that she could in fact care for the twins. Though she wasn't entirely confident that she could, she kept telling herself that she _could_ do this until she drifted off into an uneasy slumber.


	20. 19: The Not So Perfect Mother

Chapter 19: The Not-So-Perfect-Mother

* * *

Angel stirred when she heard her both of her babies crying once more. She groaned as she picked herself up from the chair and went to tend to her children. She covered all the bases that she did earlier, yet nothing seemed to quiet them down.

"Will you _please _stop crying!" the woman exclaimed.

She didn't realize her screaming at them would only upset them more. Angel's head pounded upon the twins' wailing. Between that and the lack of sleep, Angel's logic was depleted. Her common sense was replaced with a colossal amount of sheer anger.

"Shut up, shut up, _SHUT UP_!" she screamed. She pressed both babies to her chest firmly, so firmly that her hands shook. Suddenly, the babies stopped crying. Angel pulled her twins away from her. She sensed something was wrong, especially when she saw that her babies were incredibly still. Panic set in when she realized how pale they both were. Angel placed her ear to Sera's chest, only to find that her little heart wasn't beating. Gabriel's wasn't either.

"No…" she whispered to herself. "I didn't…"

This wasn't happening. Had she really just killed both of her children? Were little Gabriel and Seraphina really dead?

"Love?" Horatio's voice entered the room. "Is there something wrong?"

* * *

_**Wednesday, July 27, 2005**_

"NO!" Angel screamed as she jolted awake. The Caine woman's breaths came unevenly as she thought about the horrid nightmare she just had. Even after it finally registered in her mind that it was all a dream, she hopped to her feet and rush over to the babies' cribs, just in case. Gabriel was awake, still gazing up at his train mobile. Seraphina was awake too, glancing around the room quietly.

"They're alive…" she said breathlessly, letting out a crazed sporadic laugh as she backed away from the cribs. "I didn't kill them! They're still alive!"

Little did she know, Horatio was standing in the doorway behind her. He stepped in just in time to hear her last statement.

"Love…" he began slowly. "Is everything all right?"

Angel spun around to face her husband. Still laughing, she ran across the room to fervidly pepper kisses across his cheek.

"I'm fine!" Angel cried, though her maniacal tone led the redhead to believe she was anything but. "Everything's fine! Because… because they're still alive!"

Horatio paused, speechless for a moment. Something was definitely wrong; he just wasn't sure what that something was yet.

Finally, he said, "Sweetheart, I think you need some rest."

"No. No, no, no," Angel managed to get out before another bizarre laugh attacked her body in a near-convulsive manner. "I don't need rest. I'm fine."

After a while, her crazed giggles finally died down. But Horatio saw by the glassy look in her eyes that she still wasn't coherent.

Silence fell over the room. Horatio wasn't entirely sure what to say, so he only stared at his wife.

Angel broke the silence as she cleared her throat and said, "How was your day?"

"Fine…" Horatio said slowly. "…How was yours?"

"It was fine," Angel replied. "Everything is fine."

Another awkward stillness consumed the room. Horatio gazed at his wife for a long moment before saying, "Love, I'm going into the office. You'll call me if you need me, right?"

"Of course," she replied with a smile.

Horatio nodded before slowly and reluctantly leaving for the office. He knew his wife had been acting rather peculiar lately, but he just assumed it was related to her hormones settling after the pregnancy was over. Before Angel was discharged from the hospital, the doctor mentioned that the Caine woman might be moodier than usual. Horatio prepared himself for the worst once he heard those words, but he hadn't quite expected something as bizarre as the episode that she just had.

Recalling that Carlos was a psychiatrist, Horatio figured he should call the second-oldest Lopez brother. It wouldn't hurt to ask if Angel's behavior was normal, the redhead figured.

Horatio picked up the home phone and called Carlos's cell phone number. The Lopez brother answered on the third ring.

"Hello?"

"Carlos…it's Horatio."

"Hey Horatio. How's it going?"

"I'm doing fine… I don't know if I can say the same thing about Angel, though."

"What do you mean? What's wrong with Ang?"

Horatio sighed. "I'm not sure, to be honest. She's acting…strange."

"You…_do_ realize you've married Angel Rose Lopez, right?" Carlos said with a chuckle. "She's not exactly a 'normal' person. I would be more concerned if she _wasn't_ acting strange."

The redhead would've laughed at his brother-in-law's joke, yet he found he was too concerned about Angel to find it funny.

"She's acting _really_ strange," Horatio added. "I know the doctor told me that she might be moody until her hormones balance out but…"

The lieutenant's words lingered in the air in mid-sentence. He sighed once more, falling silent.

"She's been having severe mood swings?" Carlos asked, his tone much graver than before.

"Yes. One minute she'll be fine, but the next…she's either crying or on the warpath. I didn't think much of it… That is, until today."

"What happened today?"

"I got home just a little while ago. She was in the babies' room and she kept saying 'they're alive.' She seemed…delirious. I assumed it was because she was tired… Now I'm thinking it might be something more than that."

"Has she done anything else to lead you to believe she isn't mentally stable?"

"…No. No she hasn't," Horatio said with another uneasy sigh. "Maybe I'm just overreacting."

"You may not be," Carlos replied. "It's possible that she could have a postpartum mood disorder, or some other mental health issue. Especially since mental illnesses are often genetic and we have history of them on both sides of the family. …Actually, if I remember correctly, I think our mother had postpartum depression with all of her pregnancies. Angel could be the same way."

The redhead's heart sank at the thought of his wife being mentally unstable.

"So what are we going to do…?" Horatio asked in a small voice.

"For now, nothing. It's possible that she might just be worn out from caring for the twins. I think you should just keep an eye on her and let me know if anything changes. Then we'll take it from there. Okay?"

"…Okay," Horatio responded. "Thanks."

"Anytime, Horatio. And if anything comes up, no matter how little, don't hesitate to call me back and let me know."

"I will."

Once the two men said their goodbyes and hung up, Horatio sat at the desk pondering what he should do next.

"Horatio?" Angel's voice interrupted Horatio's planning. "Can I ask you something?

Horatio looked up to see his wife standing in the doorway. She looked troubled, as if something was truly bothering her.

"Sure you can. What is it, sweetheart?" the male asked softly.

"Do you think…?" She paused to heave a heavy sigh. "…Do you think I'm a good mother?"

"Of course you are, Angel," Horatio responded.

"Even though I still can't change a diaper right…and I don't know how to get them to stop crying sometimes…a-and—"

"Love, that doesn't matter." H got up from his seat and crossed the room to pull his wife in for a hug. "You are a wonderful mother."

"Then why doesn't it feel like I am…?" she whimpered.

As he pulled away to look at her, he noticed tears welling in her eyes. Her lower lip trembled as the tears spilled over. Horatio wiped away her tears with one hand and rubbed her back with the other.

"Sweetheart you're doing fine," Horatio responded. "Don't doubt yourself."

Angel looked down to the floor. The redhead lifted her head to face him again. "You're doing just fine, love. Okay?"

"…Okay," Angel murmured, sniffling a bit. "Sorry…I guess I was just stressed out about whether I can really do this."

"You need to relax, love," said Horatio. He lifted both hands to her shoulders and gave her a brief massage. "You should go take a warm bubble bath. That always makes you feel better."

"I can't do that right now… I have to make sure that the babies—"

"I'll take care of the babies, love. Now go on. I'll be by to check on you later."

Angel sighed in defeat. "Okay."

Horatio gave his wife a peck on the lips before she left for the master bathroom.

* * *

_**Thursday, August 4, 2005**_

One month.

It had been one month since the Caine twins were born. To Angel, it seemed much longer than that. The days seemed to pass in a blur in her mind. She thought having a child was supposed to be a happy experience. But since she and Horatio brought the twins home from the hospital several weeks ago, Angel found that she was far from happy. In fact, she'd been depressed for months now. Having the babies around seemed to only worsen that depression.

She stopped going to her therapy appointments a few weeks before her wedding day. That was six months ago, and a long six months it had been. Since then, Angel's emotions were as volatile as the many ups and downs of a rollercoaster. Something told her she should try and go back to the therapy sessions, especially after the series of nightmares she'd been having lately.

Angel's thoughts were broken moments later, though, when she heard her babies crying from the baby monitor. Angel exhaled a lengthy breath and slowly picked herself up from her bed to make her way down the hallway to the nursery.

"What's wrong, sweeties?" Angel said as she picked up both twins. She rocked them in her arms, yet they didn't stop crying. Angel sighed tiredly. She laid both twins back in their cribs and turned on their mobiles, hoping that would help. To her dismay, they kept crying.

"What could you possibly want…?" Angel groaned as she closed her eyes and held her hand to her head to massage her temples. "Please stop crying… _Please_?"

And then she heard it—a voice, unfamiliar to her. The mystery voice sounded muffled at first, yet when the babies finally stopped crying, Angel heard it loud and clear.

"You should just kill them now while you have the chance," it said.

Angel's eyes flew open and she gazed about the room. No one was around her. Her breaths came jagged as fear struck her body.

"I'm…I'm losing it," Angel murmured to herself. "First the mood swings…now I'm hearing things?"

Angel's heart pounded rapidly. Now it was perfectly evident that something was wrong with her. What that something was, though, she didn't know. And she was absolutely terrified to find out.

The Caine woman scooped her now-sleeping babies up into her arms and laid them in their carriers. She then quickly brought them out to the car along with their baby bag and strapped them into their seatbelts. Her hands shook as she put on her own seatbelt and keyed the ignition. She sped off to Chris's house, hoping he could care for the twins while she figured out what she needed to do.

When she got to the Lopez residence, Delilah answered the door.

"Hi Angel," she said. She smiled when she saw that Angel held the babies in their carriers. "Oh hewoo Sera and Gabriel. You came to visit Auntie Delilah?"

Angel held the carriers up to Delilah. "I need you to keep them for me."

Delilah frowned when she saw the distraught look on Angel's face. "Is there something wrong?"

"No. I just…I need to go. Here, take them…"

Angel quickly placed the handles for the carriers in Delilah's hands. She then bolted back to her car, leaving her children and completely-baffled sister-in-law behind.

* * *

Horatio was on his way home that evening when he heard his phone ring. He pressed the answer button on his Bluetooth and said, "Hello?"

"H, it's Chris. We've got a problem."

The redhead frowned. "What's wrong?"

"I think there's something wrong with Angel. She came by earlier and dropped off the twins. Delilah said Ang looked _**really**_ upset and she ran back to the car before Delilah could say anything. We've tried calling her cell and your house phone a few times. But she's not answering either one."

Horatio sighed uneasily. "Okay, I'll try to get in contact with her. In the meantime, can you still take care of the twins? Until I find Angel, that is."

"Sure thing, H. Let me know when you find her."

The lieutenant hung up with Chris and quickly formulated a plan of action to find his missing wife.


	21. 20: The Not So Perfect Mother Part II

Chapter 20: The Not-So-Perfect-Mother Part II

* * *

_**Thursday, August 4, 2005**_

Horatio dialed Angel's cell phone number as he sped toward his condo. The phone rang several times before going to voicemail. Horatio left her a message before hanging up and calling their home number. Still no response. It wasn't like her to disappear into thin air without notifying anyone where she would be.

As the redhead thought of the last time she went missing like this, he remembered that it was a year ago when she had been kidnapped and raped. Thinking worst-case-scenario, Horatio knew he had to find his wife ASAP. He decided to check if she was at home first before widening his search elsewhere.

When Horatio turned onto Coral Way, he saw that Angel's car was in the driveway. The redhead gave a relieved sigh and pulled his Cadillac alongside her sedan. He quickly made his way up the pathway and to the front door.

"Angel, sweetheart?" Horatio called. "Where are you?"

He didn't receive a response. Horatio wandered down the hallway in search of his wife. He caught a glimpse of her on the back porch out the window and headed for the back of the house to talk to her.

The first thing he noticed when he stepped outside was that she had a cigarette perched between her middle and index fingers. This wouldn't have bothered him if he hadn't remembered how big of a deal she made several ago when she first discovered she was pregnant. The day they found out she was going to have a child, Angel threw out all of her cigarettes and vowed to Horatio that she was quitting for good. She went through so much trouble to quit, he remembered. Why had she suddenly decided to pick up her bad habit?

"Love, why are you out here smoking?" Horatio asked.

"Because…you don't like me smoking inside," Angel replied before taking a long drag. Her gaze was fixed on the chain-link fence that enclosed the back yard.

"That's not what I meant, Angel. I meant I thought you weren't going to smoke cigarettes anymore… Why did you start again?"

"Because the gas station down the street sells them and it's much easier to go buy some cigarettes than to track down Danté's ex-girlfriend to score some weed," the female said. "Plus it's been so long since I rolled a blunt that I forgot how to do it."

Horatio did a double take upon hearing her last statement. He wasn't sure which was more disturbing: the comment she just made, or the nonchalant manner that she just made it in.

It was then that he noticed how slow her speech came. She had been slurring.

"Have you been drinking too?" he managed to get out in spite of his shock.

Angel silently held up her other hand, which held a half-empty bottle of vodka.

Horatio sighed. "Angel, why are you doing this?"

Aside from cocking an eyebrow, Angel's expression remained nearly emotionless. "What're you talking about?"

"Smoking…drinking…not to mention you left the kids at Chris's without telling them if or when you'd be back. And you haven't been answering your phone."

"I needed a break," Angel said simply.

Horatio paused for a moment before saying, "Love…I think we need to talk about some things."

The female took a swig of vodka. "Like…what?"

"About a week ago you said you were stressed out."

"Yeah…so?"

"So…are you still feeling stressed?"

Angel shrugged. "I dunno."

Horatio sighed once more. Although he clearly saw she didn't want to be bothered, he kept speaking. "Angel, I'm starting to get worried about you. Can you tell me, honestly…? What's the matter?"

"Nothing," she responded automatically.

"Love, seriously—"

"Damn it, I said _NOTHING!_" Angel exclaimed, suddenly appearing beyond furious. "Leave me alone!"

"…Angel, I'm only trying to help you," Horatio said softly.

"You _really_ want to help me?" the female said, looking her husband in the eyes for the first time that night. "Leave me alone."

Silence fell over the two. Horatio wasn't sure how to respond, so he simply stared at his wife silently. As Angel looked back to the fence and puffed at her cigarette, Horatio slipped back inside his condo. He promptly brought out his cell phone, dialing Carlos's number.

"Carlos? It's H," Horatio began once the Lopez brother picked up. "We have a problem…"

* * *

_**Friday, August 5, 2005**_

Angel stirred from her restless sleep around eight the next morning. She frowned as she realized she was lying in her queen-sized bed instead of that uncomfortable lounge chair on the back porch where she fell asleep the night before. Horatio must have carried her inside, she figured.

The woman turned over in bed, only to find that Horatio's side was empty. He must have already left for work that morning. The female wished she would've been sober when she saw him last. She couldn't even really remember anything she said to him that night.

Angel sat upright in bed, wincing as she grabbed her throbbing head. Bright beams of sunlight escaped through cracks in the blinds and danced across the room, only worsening Angel's headache. Usually she didn't have trouble with being hung over, seeing as she had a high tolerance level for alcohol. For her not to remember the events of the night before and have a headache as nasty as this only meant that she had drank entirely too much.

The female dropped her hand to her stomach; not because it ached, but because it was much smaller than she remembered it to be. Her hands traveled down to her thighs, which were also smaller than usual. Angel had been a plus-sized woman for years, though she was always on the smaller end of the full-figured woman spectrum. Now she was sure if she walked into a plus-sized boutique, she wouldn't be able to find anything in her size. She'd lost so much weight that she would have to go shopping for smaller clothes soon. Usually the thoughts of being thinner would lift Angel's spirits, yet lately she found she was too depressed to care anymore.

As she glanced over to the baby monitor on her nightstand, Angel recalled her episode the evening prior. Her heart ached as she recalled the words that the mystery voice told her. She would never intentionally hurt her children…_right_? The fact that she couldn't answer that with a definite "no" made her feel even worse.

It was then that she wondered… Where were Seraphina and Gabriel? Were they still at Chris's place? Were they safe from any danger? …Was Angel herself the biggest threat to their lives right now?

Angel groaned as she struggled to her feet. She knew she should figure out how to sort this mess out soon. Maybe after a cup of coffee she could shake off her hangover and figure out what to do next.

As she made her way down the hallway, she heard voices coming from the other room. At first she wondered if it was another figment of her imagination… That is, until she saw Horatio and Carlos sitting in the living room.

"Horatio? Carlos? What are you doing here?" Angel asked. "Shouldn't you guys be at work?"

The two men looked to Angel, then back at each other. Silence struck the room. Angel sensed something was wrong by the troubled looks on their faces.

Finally, Carlos gazed back up at his sister and said, "Sit down, Angel."

Angel walked across the room and sat on the loveseat next to her husband.

After an uncomfortable silence, Angel asked, "Where are the twins?"

"They're asleep in their room," Horatio responded.

Another awkward pause, and then the Lopez brother spoke.

"Horatio called me because he's concerned about your recent behavior," Carlos began, sounding rather official. "According to him, you've been having some drastic mood swings lately."

At that point Angel knew exactly what was going on. Horatio and Carlos were discussing her mental health. She should have known; after all, she had similar conversations with Carlos about A.J.'s mental wellbeing. It felt rather strange to be on this side of things, being the person in need of help rather than the person who was doing the helping.

Angel wasn't sure what to say, so she simply fiddled with her hair as she waited for someone to continue.

"You aren't acting like yourself, love," Horatio said. "And after talking to Carlos, he thinks you might need some professional help."

"So you're making me go back to therapy?" Angel asked in a soft voice.

"Yes, but that's only part of it," Carlos jumped back in. He pulled a slip of paper from his jacket pocket and laid it on the table. "I've written you a prescription for Depakote. It's a mood stabilizer. I think you should try taking that around dinner time every day for a few weeks and I'll check back up on you to see how you're doing."

Angel's heart sank. They were trying to put her on the same medication Andrés, Jr. was on.

"Do I have to do this…?" she near whimpered.

Horatio slipped an arm around her shoulder. "Love, can you at least try this for now? For me? For our children?"

Angel almost didn't respond. She gazed down at the prescription paper before her for a long moment before finally responding. "Fine. I'll do it."

Horatio pulled his wife into his arms, stroking her shoulder gently. "Things will be just fine, love. I promise. You'll be better in no time."

Angel wasn't entirely sure whether she should believe her husband's words or not.

* * *

_**Friday, August 26, 2005**_

Yet another hectic day at the crime lab was coming to a close for the dayshift CSIs, but for Lieutenant Horatio Caine, the chaos had merely just begun.

It had been three weeks since he had the conversation with Angel and Carlos about his wife's mental health, and three weeks since she was supposed to be taking the medication her brother prescribed her. Horatio wasn't entirely sure if the medicine wasn't working for her or if she had just stopped taking it altogether. Either way, Horatio knew that Angel's strange behavior wasn't getting the least bit better.

In fact, it seemed to be getting worse. For the past three weeks, Horatio had been called nearly every day by Chris because Angel dropped the twins off and disappeared. And every time Horatio confronted his wife about it, she told him she wanted to be left alone.

The redhead tried to give his wife some consideration for wanting time to herself. She was now a stay-at-home-mom, but the task of caring for young twin babies didn't seem the least bit simple. Yet Horatio's patience was starting to wear thin after the many nights he was left to care for the twins by himself. Angel often disappeared into thin air, and trying to find her was impossible. She would not be found until she was good and ready to return.

That evening Horatio was expecting a call from Chris, for it had practically become a routine for him to notify the lieutenant that Angel had disappeared yet again. But this evening, Chris never called. Horatio figured Angel had finally settled down and tried to care for the twins herself. He made a mental note to call her as he was on his way home.

Just as Horatio was on ready to leave his office for the day that Friday evening, he caught a glimpse of Calleigh in his doorway.

"Horatio, I need to talk to you," she said as she let herself in. She closed the door behind her before striding across the room and sitting at a seat before him.

"What is it?" the lieutenant asked, sensing it was something serious by her somber tone.

"There is a new DUI suspect in custody," she began. "Her blood alcohol level was just over the legal limit. She was driving with her children in the back seat, so she's looking at two counts of child endangerment, too."

"Were there any casualties?" Horatio asked, figuring this was a case that needed to be investigated.

"No," Calleigh responded.

Silence hit the room. The redhead sensed he was missing a significant piece of information and asked, "What aren't you telling me, Calleigh?"

The blonde looked incredibly troubled. Whatever she had to say, she clearly didn't want to say it aloud. She leaned forwards and whispered, "The driver is Angel."

Horatio did a double take, wondering if he had heard his second-in-command correctly.

"Wha…_what_?" he managed to say.

"She's over in lockup right now. Once I found out, I had Eric take the babies to our place to avoid hassle with child services."

Horatio remained silent in disbelief for a moment. Angel was driving under the influence? And with their children in the backseat? Why would she jeopardize the lives of her children—as well as her own—like this? What had gotten into her?

After shaking off the shock, he asked, "Who knows about this?"

"So far, only three people. The arresting officer, myself, and Eric."

Horatio nodded and slowly rose from his seat. "Let's keep it that way. Show me where she is?"

Calleigh rose from her own seat and led the way to lockup.

There in a jail cell sat a slightly buzzed Angel Caine. Her eyes were fixed down at her stilettos, and she fidgeted with her hair uncontrollably while murmuring something to herself.

Horatio stared at his wife in the jail cell for a long moment before he finally formulated a plan of what to do.


	22. 21: Over the Edge

Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who is reading, and a special thank you those who reviewed. I always enjoy reading what you feel should happen next. ;)

Sexual content in this chapter. And the ending might shock you…

* * *

Chapter 21: Over the Edge

* * *

_**Friday, August 26, 2005**_

"Alright, you're free to go," an officer said to Angel as he opened her cell. The Caine woman hesitated leaving her cell. She knew she hadn't even made her one phone call yet, which automatically meant that Horatio had found out about this.

Angel was hoping that some way, somehow, Horatio would never find out about what happened. She knew the possibilities of keeping this from her husband were slim to none, especially since she had been picked up only a few blocks away from the crime lab he worked at.

"Miss?" the officer called. "You're free to go."

"Is there any way I could stay here?" Angel said softly. Somehow she knew that facing Horatio would be far worse than staying in jail.

"Let's go, Angel," a stern, rather angry deep voice entered the conversation. "_Now_."

Angel shuddered an uneasy breath at the thought of who that voice belonged to. And sure enough, a beyond-furious Horatio Caine appeared on the other side of the room behind the officer. The female slowly made her way across the jail cell and to her husband. The lieutenant took hold of her wrist firmly and led her out the back way, not even bothering to sign out. He took her down the stairs and to his car.

Once the two were inside, Angel stared down at the floor. Although she wasn't looking at him, she sensed Horatio's furious gaze fixed on her, felt those deep blue eyes boring a hole through her head.

The vehicle remained deathly silent for a long time. The silence was driving Angel insane, yet she didn't dare make a peep. Instead, she shifted uncomfortably, fidgeting with her hair.

"I want to know _why_, Angel," Horatio finally said. "Why would you get behind the wheel drunk…with our _children_ in the back seat?"

The Caine woman didn't respond. She didn't know how to respond, because quite honestly, she hadn't the slightest clue why she did what she did.

"Look at me, Angel," the redhead said, his voice growing deeper with anger.

Angel didn't move an inch. She had never heard her husband so furious before, not once since she met him a year-and-a-half ago.

Horatio reached over and turned her head to face him. Angel left her gaze at his lap, trying to figure out something to say. She racked her brain for an explanation, yet her mind went completely blank.

"Do you even _care_ about the babies?" Horatio asked.

Angel's head shot up upon hearing that question. "Of _course_ I care about them! Why would you think I didn't?"

"Why did you drive drunk with them in the car?"

"I don't know!" Angel shot back. Her voice fell as she felt tears coming. "I don't know…"

Silence struck the vehicle once more, until Angel asked, "Am I going to jail?"

"Jail time is the _least_ of your troubles right now, Angel," Horatio responded as he put the car in gear. "Put your seatbelt on."

Angel quickly obeyed and looked back out to the window. As they drove, Horatio said, "All of the charges against you have been dropped."

"You did that for me?"

"I did that because I didn't want the mother of my children in jail for the first five to ten years of their lives," Horatio responded. "Though I'm not sure if that would have mattered to you."

Angel's tears spilled over upon his last statement. "I care about the babies, Horatio," she whimpered.

"Mm-hmm," the redhead muttered disbelievingly.

"You don't believe me?"

"To tell you the truth, I'm not sure whether I believe you or not. But the way that you keep dropping the kids at Chris's house and leaving them there without telling anyone when you'll be back is making me lean towards the latter."

Angel bit her lip as tears streamed down her cheeks. She closed her eyes, resting her head against the cool glass of the window.

"Have you been taking the prescription Carlos gave you?" Horatio continued.

The female was sure the answer to that question was going to land her in deeper trouble.

"…No," she said honestly.

"I figured as much. I scheduled an appointment for you with Maryanne on Monday morning. Chris will be taking you, because right now I can't trust that you'll get there on your own or not."

Angel didn't say a word.

"I'm also taking away your keys," said the redhead.

"Why?" Angel asked. She later mentally kicked herself for asking that question, for she clearly already knew the reason why.

"You're not going anywhere unless I know where you are," Horatio said. "Not until you're mentally stable again."

_Not until you're mentally stable again_. Those words echoed throughout Angel's mind. She was mentally unstable. She never thought she'd be in that position. She recalled her brother Andrés and how painful it was to watch his mental state deteriorate. Was she putting Horatio through the same thing?

Stillness attacked the vehicle once more. The two Caines remained silent for the entire ride over to Eric's place to pick up the twins. Delko came out to help Horatio put the car seats in the Cadillac. She knew Eric knew about her DUI incident too. The Latino saw her in the front seat and gave a small wave before he went back into his house. Angel glanced back down to her stilettos shamefully.

Silence fell over the Caines until they got to the condo. Horatio unbuckled the car seats and started to take the children inside, while Angel remained in the car. She didn't want to go inside and face her children after endangering their lives only hours before. She didn't want to go inside and face her husband after betraying his trust and putting him in such a difficult situation. And after thinking it over, she realized she really didn't want to ever go on and face her family again, not after hurting them so much.

What she would do next was unclear to her, yet she felt she deserved some sort of punishment for doing what she did. The female remained in the car until she formulated a plan of what she felt she needed to do.

* * *

_**Saturday, August 27, 2005**_

The next evening, Horatio was on his way home from working a full shift that day. He debated whether he should have taken off, especially after Angel's DUI incident the day before. In the end Horatio figured working one more day wouldn't hurt. Chris was supposed to be with Angel during a majority of the day, and since Horatio himself had hidden Angel's car keys, the redhead figured she wouldn't have been able to get herself into any more trouble.

When Horatio arrived at the condo, he heard Angel talking in the other room. As he followed the sound of her voice, he saw that she was in the nursery, speaking to the twins.

"Mommy made a really stupid mistake yesterday," she said softly as she gazed down at her sleeping babies. "But I just want you two to know that no matter what happens, Mommy loves you. Mommy will _always_ love you."

Horatio stood alongside his wife, slipping his arm around her waist. The female jumped, startled as she hadn't seen him come in. She then smiled weakly, gazing over into his blue eyes.

"I love you, Horatio," she whispered.

The redhead matched her faint smile with a stronger one of his own. "I love you too, Angel."

The female leaned in to kiss her husband slowly, gently. As she pulled away, she took his hand in hers and softly said, "Come with me."

Horatio let his wife lead the way to the bedroom. She sat down on the bed, instructing him to do the same. Angel wrapped her arms around him and drew him in ever-so-gently for another kiss. She trailed down to his neck, yet she suddenly pulled away. Horatio frowned as he saw her gaze up at him with uncertainty in her eyes.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" he asked.

"…Will you make love to me?" she whispered.

Horatio sensed something was off by her words. He didn't have a problem making love to his wife, but this was honestly the first time that he ever heard her ask for permission first. Usually their times together seemed to happen by chance, never by planning.

Despite his suspicion, Horatio wrapped his arms around the woman and said, "Of course."

He pulled the woman into his lap, facing him. He allowed his hands to leisurely explore her body. As he brought his hands to the small of her back, he slowly pulled her in, closing the gap between their bodies. The redhead kissed his wife gently while he slowly slipped her dress off her body. Angel started to unbutton his shirt and then leaned down to tug off his slacks. Once the both of them were undressed, the two drew together again. Horatio felt her hesitate, almost as if she were anxious about this all.

"Are you nervous, love?" he asked as he tousled her curly mane. His question was rather rhetorical, though, as he clearly knew the answer.

"A little," Angel said with a sheepish giggle.

Horatio smiled, leaning in to kiss her again. "Why? Because of what happened yesterday?"

Angel nodded slightly.

"Love, I may have been angry with you, but that doesn't change how I feel about you. I still love you."

The Caine woman smiled too, yet she said nothing. Instead of giving a verbal response, she allowed her actions to do the talking. She lowered herself onto her husband and thrust into him gently. Her movements still seemed quite tense, Horatio noticed. As an attempt to ease her tension, he surrounded her with strong arms and kissed her chest tenderly. The female gasped, reaching to snatch up a handful of his strawberry-blonde mane. Horatio chuckled.

"That's my Angel," he whispered softly.

Soon their movements became increasingly more natural. Their thrusts flowed together, like a mutual instinct. The two leisurely explored each other's most satisfying spots that they knew oh-so well. Their time together was pleasurable, magical, and ecstatic. More enjoyable than all of their encounters in Cancun combined. Even more gratifying than their very first time together that April evening the year prior.

They felt their end nearing in unison. With one last push they climaxed together.

"Oh, Horatio!" Angel cried.

"Mm…Angel," Horatio grunted.

The two pulled apart, and Angel laid her head on her husband's bare chest. She closed her eyes as she listened to his heartbeat slow back to its normal pace. Once they were both calmer, Angel rolled off of the male and onto her side of the bed.

Silence consumed the room. Horatio traced over her bare back with his fingertips. He noticed she'd begun shaking, and as he gently turned her over to face him, he realized she was crying.

The redhead's heart sank. What had he done wrong? Had he hurt her? He wasn't sure, but he wouldn't be able to forgive himself easily, that's for sure.

"Love, what's wrong?" he asked as he reached down to wipe her tears away. "Was I too rough? Did I hurt you?"

"No!" Angel murmured, sniffling frantically. "No, you didn't hurt me at all. That was amazing… _Really_ amazing."

Horatio paused. "Then what's the matter?"

"I…I still feel bad about what I did yesterday," she whimpered.

"Oh sweetheart…" Horatio murmured, running his hand through her long black locks. "It was a stupid mistake, I'll admit. But you've learned from it. I've forgiven you, and now you need to do the same. Forgive yourself, love."

Angel closed her eyes, silently thinking, _I can't do that._

"No matter what stupid mistake I make," Angel began aloud as she opened her eyes again, "I want you to know that I love you. I'll _always_ love you."

"And I you, Angel," Horatio said, giving her a small smile.

Silence filled the room once more.

Angel broke the stillness with a cough; then she cleared her throat. "Uh…I'm thirsty. I think I'll go get myself a glass of water."

Horatio nodded as he watched his wife slip on a silky lavender robe. She lingered near the doorway, looking back at him. She blew her husband a kiss, causing the redhead to smile as she left the room.

It had been a little while since Angel left the room, and Horatio started to wonder why she was taking so long. He rose to dress himself in a tee-shirt and a pair of pajama pants and started down the hallway to check on her.

He was halfway down the corridor when he heard a loud _thump_. The male quickened his pace and ran down the hallway, calling his wife's name.

"Angel, sweetheart, are you all right?"

He didn't receive a response. Instead, he heard her coughing and gasping for breath. Horatio hurried into the kitchen, where he saw his precious Angel convulsing on the tiled floor.

"Angel!" he exclaimed, rushing to her side. "Love, can you hear me?"

Angel seemed as if she were trying to say something, yet her uneven breathing and violent shaking made it hard to understand.

"Sweetheart, stay with me," he called as he briefly pulled away to search for the nearest phone to call for help. Yet he froze when he saw something near her feet. Actually, two things: a bottle of wine and a bottle of her mood stabilizers. Both empty.

"Angel… Please tell me you didn't…" he said in a small, shaky voice.

"I'm sorry…" he finally deciphered her words between her gasps. "I'm so sorry…"


	23. 22: Come Back, Angel

Chapter 22: Come Back, Angel

* * *

"Angel," the Caine woman heard a voice call her name. She knew the sound of that voice. It was her brother, Andrés, Jr. She opened her eyes, but the world around her was still dark.

"A.J.?" Angel called back. "A.J., where are you?"

"I'm right here, silly," A.J. said. Angel felt herself being turned around, and her brother appeared before her.

Angel managed to smile upon his words. "I really missed you."

"I missed you too, Angel…" the Lopez brother said. Angel could tell by his tone that something was wrong.

"What's happening?" the woman asked. "Am I dead?"

"No," Andrés, Jr. replied.

Silence hit the two for a moment before Angel asked, "Am I _going_ to die?"

The man didn't answer at first. Angel started to repeat her question, but Andrés placed his finger to his mouth in a shushing motion.

"Listen," he finally said.

Angel frowned as she fell silent. There was a faint noise far away. She looked around the vast abyss. Somewhere in the distance, she heard her husband's voice. As it grew louder, Angel realized he wasn't talking to her. No…he was talking to a higher being, instead.

"Father God, _please_ don't take her away from me!" he screamed frantically. His voice cracked upon the last few words. He was crying. "Oh, God please…_**please**_ bring her back…"

Angel's heart ached upon hearing her husband's prayer. For a long moment, she only stood there speechless, gazing at the nothingness.

It was then that Angel regretted her overdose. Sure, she and Horatio had their many differences over the past months. And sure, she'd made plenty of mistakes lately. But maybe she could've worked through it all. Maybe killing herself wasn't the right way out of this mess.

Once she could finally form words, Angel said, "I messed up, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did," Andrés replied. "But it's not too late to fix it."

Angel looked back to her late brother. "You mean I'm going to live?"

"Well, that's up to you," the brother said. "Remember that choice I said you had to make about a year ago? Between me and Horatio?"

Angel nodded mutely.

"Well, now it's time to choose. You can stay here with me, or you can go back to your new family."

"I…I want to go back…" The woman paused as she became unsure. "But I _really_ miss you."

"I miss you too, Angel," said the brother. "But I think Horatio and your children need you a lot more than you need me."

Angel sighed uneasily. "This is really hard."

"I know. But you have to hurry up and make a choice, Angel," Andrés said as he started walking away. "You don't have much time…"

* * *

_**Saturday, August 27, 2005**_

"C'mon, Angel, don't leave me!" Horatio cried for the umpteenth time. "Come back to me, Angel!"

He pressed his ear to his wife's chest, listening for her heartbeats. To his dismay, they were still erratic. At least her heart was still beating. She'd stopped breathing altogether a while ago, despite him giving her CPR for the past minute or so.

Was he even doing it right? Horatio couldn't even remember if he cleared her airway. He desperately tried to recollect what happened within the last few moments, but he could barely think. Actually, he _couldn't_ think—not clearly anyway. He couldn't focus on anything. His mind was racing faster than cars on their final lap of the Grand Prix. His wife was unconscious before him on the kitchen floor. From the other room he heard his children wailing, only adding to the chaos and worsening Horatio's scatterbrained thought process. But he had neither the time nor the energy to sift through his jumbled thoughts. All he knew is that he had to do something, anything to bring his wife back to him.

The redhead's hands trembled as he continued doing chest compressions on Angel's lifeless form. A new set of tears blurred his vision and streamed down his cheeks. He inhaled deeply to suppress a sob before he leaned down to breathe air into her mouth.

After what seemed like an eternity—yet was only a matter of seconds—Angel's chest moved on its own. She was finally breathing again. Horatio listened to her breaths. They were _very_ shallow. But shallow breathing was much better than no breathing at all, he figured.

Horatio looked over to the phone on the floor nearby. The operator was still on the line, but he'd given up on listening to the dispatcher once she told him he needed to calm down. How on Earth could he possibly calm down? His wife was on the brink of death and he was supposed to remain calm? If it had been anyone else's life at stake, then maybe he could. But this was the love of his life, the mother of his children. Everyone had their breaking point, even Horatio Rowan Caine.

There was a strong thumping noise coming from the front part of the condo. The paramedics were at the door, Horatio realized. As he gazed down at his wife, he silently hoped—and prayed—that she would keep breathing long enough for him to let the medics in.

Horatio bolted for the door. He hastily unlocked the door and flung it wide open, quickly saying, "She's in the kitchen."

The medics rushed to the kitchen. The lieutenant ran after them, watching as the men took Angel's vitals and gave her oxygen. As his wife was lifted onto a gurney, Horatio felt a strong lethargic sensation hit him. All of a sudden he felt incredibly tired, like his legs were going to give out at any moment.

Horatio quickly shook that thought away. He was going to be just fine, he told himself. But as he followed the men to the front door, his body grew heavy. He couldn't move another inch, he realized, not without collapsing to the floor. He grabbed hold of the doorframe to support himself.

"Sir, are you okay?" a medic said to the redhead, startling him out of his thoughts.

"I'm fine," Horatio responded automatically. "What hospital are you taking her to?"

"Grace Memorial," the paramedic said. "It's only a five minute drive."

"Okay, I'm…" Horatio trailed off as a wave of dizziness hit him. He shook his head, trying to focus. "…I'm going to drive behind you guys. I just need to get our kids first."

The medic frowned as Horatio's legs wobbled beneath him. He reached to support the lieutenant, but Horatio pulled away.

"Sir, I think you need to sit down."

"No, I'm fine," H repeated, unaware that he was slurring. "I just need to go get the twins. I'll be there."

The paramedic wasn't convinced. "You really shouldn't drive, sir. Is there anyone you can call?"

Horatio sighed in defeat as he clung tighter to the doorframe. "Yes…yes, there is. I'll call someone right now." The other male nodded as he rushed back to the ambulance with his colleague and finished loading Angel inside.

Horatio stumbled backwards as the ambulance pulled away. After closing the door, he grabbed his cell phone from the coffee table. He wasn't exactly sure who he was going to call at this time of the night, but he knew he had to call _someone_. He knew well enough he was in no condition to drive, and he couldn't put the lives of his children at risk.

The lieutenant fumbled to flip open the cellular device and finally made the decision to call Calleigh. It was rather late—nearly midnight, in fact. Yet he really didn't have many other choices. He could only hope that she would pick up.

* * *

_**Sunday, August 28, 2005**_

Calleigh awoke with a start upon hearing her cell phone ring. She glanced to the clock, which read _12:00am._ The blonde turned her attention to her cell phone as she unplugged it from its charger and glanced at the number. Horatio was calling. Why on earth would her boss call her at midnight on a weekend?

"Hello?" she answered groggily.

"Calleigh…it's H. I need…" Horatio trailed off. Calleigh could clearly hear his heavy, erratic breathing over the phone. He inhaled deeply as he continued; "…I-I need you to come get me and take me to Grace Memorial."

Calleigh was instantly concerned. "Horatio, what's going on? Why do you need to go to the hospital?"

"A-Angel…Angel overdosed. She…stopped breathing…a-and she was c-convulsing…I-I need you to come get me," the redhead rambled.

"Okay, Horatio, first thing I need you to do is take a deep breath and try to calm down."

"I _CAN'T_ calm down!" H abruptly snapped. "She wasn't _breathing_! She might _DIE_, Calleigh! She tried to kill herself and it's all because of _**ME**_!"

The woman paused upon her boss's outburst. She'd never heard him so hysterical in the many years she worked by his side. It almost made her question whether she was actually talking to Horatio Caine and not some random stranger. She quickly pushed that thought aside as she formulated a plan.

"I can't imagine how hard this can be for you, Horatio," Calleigh said soothingly, "But you should really try your best to calm down. Take a deep breath." She waited patiently for Horatio inhale. "Now let it out." Horatio obeyed. Calleigh hopped out of bed and started for the dresser to grab some clothes and dress herself. "Okay. I'm getting ready to go as we speak. Do you need to talk to me while I'm on my way, or will you be all right until I get there?"

"I…I'll be okay. T-thank you, Calleigh."

"No problem, Horatio. I'll see you soon."

Once she hung up, Calleigh quickly tugged on a pair of sweats and a tee and went to wake Eric.

"Eric, wake up," she said as she shook him. The Delko man stirred moments later.

"Hmm?" Eric murmured with a yawn. He sat up and frowned as he saw his fully dressed fiancée before him. "What's goin' on, Cal?"

"Angel was rushed to the hospital," the blonde explained. "Horatio is on the verge of a nervous breakdown, and he needs me to bring him to the hospital."

"What do you need me to do?"

"For now, you just stay here. I'll most likely have to bring Sera and Gabriel back here after I take H to see Angel."

Eric nodded. "Okay. Drive safe, Calleigh."

Calleigh leaned down to kiss her fiancé. "I will. I'll call you as soon as I can."

* * *

Calleigh had made it to the Caine residence in no time. She rang the doorbell once, and when a long moment passed without answer, she rang it again. Several moments later, Horatio appeared at the door.

The woman gasped. Horatio looked horrible, she realized. His eyes and nose were red, obviously a result of crying. He also looked beyond exhausted, and she was worried that he would pass out as he swayed backwards.

The blonde quickly reached up to support the redhead, yet a moment too late as he stumbled backwards. He caught himself, though, and Calleigh wrapped her arm around him.

"Sit down, Horatio," she said soothingly. She led him to the couch, helping him ease down into the seat.

"The babies are crying," Horatio murmured. "I-I have to check on them…"

"I'll do that, Horatio," Calleigh said. "You just sit here and rest for now. I'll be right back."

The blonde walked into the nursery and picked up Gabriel first. She checked his diaper and realized he needed to be changed. After changing the baby boy, she rocked him to sleep and set him in a car seat to get ready to carry him out. She then turned to Seraphina. Her diaper was clean, so Calleigh figured the little girl was hungry. She hadn't the slightest clue where the baby formula was, though. She realized she needed to go check on Horatio anyway, so she carried little Sera into the living room.

"Horatio, where's the baby formula?" Calleigh asked.

Horatio didn't respond. The woman grew worried upon his silence and approached him cautiously.

"Horatio…?" she called once more. She stood in front of him with the crying baby, yet he didn't move. Calleigh shifted Sera to her left hand and tapped Horatio's shoulder with her right.

The redhead slowly lifted his head to meet Calleigh's gaze. Although the blonde knew her boss was literally sitting before her, she could tell that mentally, he was far-gone. His once-lively blue eyes now appeared listless. The look on his face was eerily remote. It was almost as if his mind had vacated his body and left an empty, outer shell of what was once a cheerful Horatio Caine behind.

"You…uh," Horatio finally said, "you asked me something?"

"Where's the baby formula?" Calleigh asked once more.

"It's…uh, in the kitchen. In…in the cabinet over the fridge."

The southerner nodded. "Okay. I'm going to feed Sera and I'll be right back, okay? Just holler if you need me."

Horatio nodded slowly in response. Calleigh shushed the baby as she entered the kitchen and prepared a bottle for her. After she fed and burped her, Calleigh rocked the little girl to sleep.

As she was in the kitchen, Calleigh noticed a sealed envelope on the kitchen counter. She picked it up and realized what it was—Angel's suicide note.

Calleigh's heart ached as she debated whether she should give the note to Horatio. Right now he really didn't need more stress on him, she knew. The last thing he needed was another piece of news that would tear him down.

But what if Angel didn't survive? What if this note was her final goodbye to him and their children? The blonde was incredibly conflicted, and she hadn't the slightest clue whether she should let him know Angel left him a note or not.

In the end, Calleigh decided to hold off for the time being. She tucked the envelope into her pocket, figuring she'd give it to him when the time was right.

She went to put Seraphina in her car seat, and brought both babies into the living room with their father.

"I'm going to get the diaper bag and a few toys for the babies and we'll be ready to head to the hospital."

"Thank you Calleigh," Horatio said softly.

The female paused for a moment, remembering the note in her pocket. She shook her head, telling herself once again that now was not the right time. She inhaled deeply and said, "You're welcome, Horatio," before going to gather the children's toys.


	24. 23: Regret

Chapter 23: Regret

* * *

_**Sunday, August 28, 2005**_

_This is all my fault._

That was one of the many thoughts running through Horatio's mind early that Sunday morning. It had been a few hours since the lieutenant that his wife had overdosed and was convulsing on the kitchen floor. Now he was waiting in the hospital waiting room, hoping, wishing, _praying_ that she would live.

_I should've noticed something wrong._

Why hadn't he noticed anything peculiar? He did realize she wasn't acting like herself, but he thought it was a result of her crazy mood swings related to the pregnancy and post-pregnancy. He assumed she would be fine in a matter of time. Apparently his assumption was wrong.

_She might be dead. And it's all because of me. __**I**__ did this to her._

What could he do now? The love of his life may have just committed suicide, and it was all because of him. He was going to be left a widow. How could he go on? How could he raise his twins by himself? He had only caught a glimpse of his children before Calleigh dropped him off at the hospital, and in that brief moment all he saw was their mother staring back at him. He wasn't even sure he could handle being around his own kids anymore if Angel died.

And what could he tell them once they got old enough to start talking? How would he explain to them that their mother took her own life? How could he tell them that he was the reason why she committed suicide?

The more Horatio thought about it, the more sorrowful he became. Because of his own carelessness, Angel, his precious Angel, could be dead. The redhead was certain that he wouldn't be able to go on if she died. In fact, he started to plan out his own suicide at that very moment.

"Mr. Caine?" a voice broke Horatio's suicidal thoughts.

Horatio looked up to see a doctor standing before him. The redhead wasted no time in bombarding him with questions.

"Is she okay? Is she going to live? Is she going to die? How many pills did she take? How—?"

"Sir, calm down," the doctor responded.

Horatio huffed an impatient breath as he waited for the doctor to speak.

"I'm afraid she's not doing well, Mr. Caine. The pills started to absorb into her bloodstream and she went into cardiac arrest. Right now she's still not able to breathe properly on her own, so we've got her on a respirator. You said you performed CPR?"

Horatio nodded slowly.

The doctor continued; "The only reason why she's alive right now is because of you."

Horatio wasn't sure how he should handle that news. Angel was alive, but if he hadn't walked in when he did, it was highly likely that she wouldn't have survived her overdose.

"What are her chances of survival?" Horatio asked.

"It's hard to say at this moment. Right now it could go either way. It's possible that she'll make a full recovery. On the other hand… if things to continue to go the way they have been going in the last few hours, it's possible she won't make it. She may have some minor brain damage since her lack of breathing stopped oxygen from getting to her brain. And the large amount of pills mixed with the wine wasn't a good combination for her liver."

Horatio sighed uneasily, rubbing his tired eyes.

"You'll let me know if anything changes, right?" H asked, gazing down at the floor tiles.

"I will," the doctor responded. "Right now I suggest you get some rest."

_Rest?_ Horatio thought in silent outrage as the doctor left. _How the hell can I rest when my wife might be dead?_

Time passed incredibly slowly in Horatio's mind. It was a little past 3am, yet it felt like ages since he'd last seen his Angel. The image of her lying lifelessly on the kitchen floor would be forever burned into his mind.

What could he possibly do now? Sure it was still possible that Angel would live, but it was also very possible that she wouldn't be the same Angel he knew and loved. Aside from her physical health, Horatio knew her mental condition was in dire need of help, too. And although he knew Angel's overdose was the result of an untreated postpartum mood disorder, Horatio couldn't help but feel that their marriage troubles played a role in it all, too. He would feel absolutely horrible if Angel wasn't the same again, especially if Horatio himself was the cause of her pain.

Though Horatio felt quite drowsy, he wouldn't allow himself to rest until he knew that Angel was okay. Every time he felt himself drifting off, he shook himself awake again. As the hours passed, though, he found it harder to wake himself. The redhead dug his fingernails into his hand, figuring the pain would keep him from falling asleep.

"Horatio," the Caine man heard a feminine voice call his name.

Horatio didn't respond at first. He was too distracted by a strange sensation of vertigo that overcame him. It almost felt as if he were floating.

"Horatio?" the female said, her voice growing louder.

The redhead looked up. The woman before him had a tall and curvy figure. Long curly locks extended down to her shoulders. She had a mocha complexion and matching deep brown eyes.

"Angel?" Horatio replied, sitting upright.

"Horatio, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry for everything."

"Love, it's okay," Horatio replied, reaching up for his wife.

Angel stepped backwards. "I have to go, Horatio."

Horatio was in a panic. "What? Why? Where are you going?"

Angel leaned down to kiss her husband's lips. "I have to be with A.J. now," she murmured before turning around.

"No! Angel, don't leave me! Take me with you!" Horatio cried as he frantically ran after his wife. He ran as fast as he possibly could, yet he couldn't manage to catch up with her. Angel was already gone.

* * *

"Angel, NO!" Horatio cried as he jolted awake. He frantically gazed around his surroundings, only to find that he was still sitting in the hospital waiting room. He hadn't even known he fell asleep. The redhead gazed at his watch and saw that it was nearly 6am. Hopefully a doctor would come with good news about Angel's condition soon.

"Horatio," a feminine voice called. Horatio knew that voice didn't belong to his Angel, but another woman instead. As he looked up, he saw his coworker and good friend Calleigh Duquesne standing before him. "How's she doing?"

"Uh," Horatio began. He cleared his throat and straightened up his posture. "The doctor said she wasn't doing well a few hours ago. She went into cardiac arrest. I, uh… I'm not sure how she's doing now."

"Oh, Horatio..." Calleigh said with a troubled sigh. She sat next to him in a chair. "I'm sorry."

"You haven't any reason to apologize. _I'm_ the one who did this to her. If I would've been a better husband to her… none of this would've ever happened."

"Horatio, you shouldn't blame yourself for this."

"But it _is_ my fault. I've been a horrible husband over the past few months… I accused her of cheating on me…and I kept important things from her…"

Calleigh intervened as Horatio trailed off. "Horatio you may have made some mistakes, but that doesn't make you a bad husband. That just makes you human. I don't think Angel's overdose has anything to do with you, but only something to do with herself. You've been telling me that she hasn't been acting like herself lately… She just needs some help. You have to stay strong, Horatio, so you can be there to help her when she wakes up."

"You mean _if_ she wakes up," Horatio corrected her, rather pessimistically.

"No, I mean _**when**_ she wakes up," Calleigh corrected him back. "She's going to pull through this, Horatio. She's a fighter."

Horatio didn't respond. Instead, he gazed down at the floor tiles.

As Calleigh watched the redhead gaze over the floor, she was reminded of the letter than Angel wrote. Figuring it was now or never, Calleigh reached into her pocket and pulled out the sealed envelope to give to Horatio.

"Horatio… this is for you," she said softly.

Horatio caught a glimpse of what he recognized to be Angel's handwriting on the front of the envelope. His heart fluttered as he slowly reached for it, tearing open the seal and pulling out a note from inside. He then began to read,

_Horatio,_

_When you married me back in February, you probably weren't expecting it to end this way. I just want you to know that I'm so sorry for everything._

_I've had a lot of trouble since the babies were born. I know I haven't been the best mother to them, especially after all of the horrid thoughts that crossed my mind while I was caring for them. I've thought of hurting them so many times, and I've even heard voices telling me how to do it. After I was arrested, it was obvious that I'm just not fit to be a mother._

_I thought I could be stronger than all of this, especially after all that I've been through. But this was just too much, even for someone as strong as me. I'm so sorry that I couldn't do it. I tried, I really did. But knowing that I hurt you and the babies so much made it really hard for me to go on._

_I really hope you can forgive me after all of this. This wasn't anything against you at all, and I don't want you to blame yourself for this. I felt this was the only way to make sure that the babies' lives were safe from any danger. I really hope you can move on from me and find another wife, someone who will be a better mother to the twins than I was. I'm so sorry, and I'll always love you, Horatio._

_Love always,_

_Angel_

The redhead sighed as he slowly folded the letter back up and placed it into the envelope again. Though Horatio just read his wife's last wish was that he wouldn't blame himself, he couldn't help but do so. He should've advocated therapy sooner. He should've taken some time off to help her and see what she needed. He went on and on about what he should've done differently and wondered why he hadn't done any of it.

"I don't think I can do this, Calleigh," he whispered softly. "I don't think I can do this anymore. If she doesn't make it, I'll…"

Though he hadn't finished his sentence, Calleigh knew exactly what he was going to say. Despite her own alarm about his possible suicidal thoughts, she calmly said, "Horatio, you _can_ do this. Angel is going to make it through this, and so will you."

The male wasn't sure whether he believed this to be true or not.

* * *

_**Monday, August 29, 2005**_

Calleigh sighed as she signed in for work that Monday morning. Her weekend had been very hectic considering she had to help her boss maintain his sanity while making sure his children were in good hands. H's in-laws, Chris and Delilah, took in the twins while Horatio stayed at the hospital. Eric agreed to help move some of the babies' things into the Lopez residence so they could stay there until Horatio was able to take care of them again. And the last Calleigh heard, Angel was still unconscious.

"Hey, Cal," Speed said as he approached the blonde. "Where's Eric?"

Calleigh sighed again. "It's complicated, Tim."

"Uh-oh," the white male said as he scribbled down his own signature. "What happened?"

"Well…the short version is that he's coming in later because he has to help Horatio's brother-in-law move the Caine twins' things into his house."

"Mm-kay, what's the long version?"

Calleigh guided her male coworker down the hallway and into the elevator. Once they were alone, she said, "Angel was rushed to the hospital the night before last. She overdosed and went into cardiac arrest. Horatio is there waiting for her to wake up. While he's there, his twins are going to stay at his in-laws' place."

Tim sighed uneasily. "Damn. Sounds like H's had a rough coupl'a days. How's he holdin' up?"

"He's not, really," Calleigh admitted. "I don't think he's gotten any sleep since it happened."

The elevator dinged, notifying the two that they were on the second floor. The two started down the hallway, yet Speed suddenly stopped in his tracks. Calleigh frowned and looked back to him.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"H is in the break room," Tim said, pointing down the corridor. Calleigh spun around. Sure enough, she saw their redheaded boss was standing near the coffee pot. Calleigh immediately went to confront him.

"Horatio," she began, "what are you doing here? I thought you were at the hospital."

"I can't stay there," H mumbled as he took a swig of his cup of Joe. "I can't look at her like this. I need to work."

"That's not a good idea," Calleigh said. "You should at least go home and rest."

Horatio's only response was another loud slurp of his coffee.

"You really shouldn't be here, H," Speedle jumped in. "You've got a lot goin' on. Are you going to be able to focus?"

"I'll be fine," Horatio replied automatically as he crushed the Styrofoam cup and threw it away. "I just need to get to work."

The two younger CSIs only watched silently as their boss ambled past them, out the break room door, and down the hallway.

* * *

Later that day, Eric, Calleigh, and Speed were all on their breaks. Somehow unsurprisingly, their conversation drifted to the wellbeing of their boss.

"I still can't believe H came in today," said Eric.

"He's really stubborn," Tim jumped in. "Me n' Cal tried to tell him to take it easy, but he wouldn't hear it."

"In Horatio's defense, I think he's still in shock," Calleigh interjected. "He isn't sure what he should do, so maybe he's just trying to act like things are okay by going back to his normal routine."

"Yeah, but he's just so…_out of it_," Tim said.

"He was practically a zombie when I passed him in his office," Delko added. "He was just sitting there with a weird blank look on his face staring at _nothing_."

"I never said it was a good idea for him to come back," the female said. "I just said that he…"

Calleigh trailed off when she saw the redhead slinking down the hallway and into the break room. The room fell deathly silent as the CSIs watched their supervisor fumble for a cup to get some coffee.

"Uh, hey H," Eric said. "How're you feelin'?"

"I'm good," Horatio responded, although his shaky tone suggested otherwise.

Stillness overcame the CSIs once more. Eric turned to the blonde and the black haired male and whispered, "Someone's gotta convince him to go home."

"We tried already," Speed whispered back. "He wouldn't listen."

"Well, we can't just let him go on like this. Look at him, he's a _wreck_."

"Fine, Delko. Why don't you try and—"

Tim stopped in mid-sentence when he heard a loud _thump_ sound behind him. The three CSIs quickly spun around to see Horatio slumped on break room floor in a lifeless heap.


	25. 24: Anxiety

Chapter 24: Anxiety

* * *

_**Monday, August 29, 2005**_

"Horatio!" Calleigh cried as she rushed over to the redhead. She kneeled before him and called his name once more. He didn't respond. He was still conscious, yet he didn't seem anywhere near alert. "Horatio, can you hear me?"

"...Where's…where is Angel?" he murmured. "Where's my Angel?"

Calleigh was quiet as she realized he was having trouble breathing. She tried to remain calm as she looked back to her other coworkers and said, "Call the paramedics."

Eric immediately grabbed his phone from its holster case and dialed for a paramedic. He cursed as he realized he couldn't get a signal. "I've gotta go outside…don't have any bars in here." The Russian-Cuban-American sprinted out the break room and down the corridor, hoping to find a signal soon.

Calleigh turned her attention back to her supervisor. She took his wrist in her hand to feel for a pulse. Horatio tried to sit up, but Calleigh gently nudged him back down.

"Horatio, you need to lie still, okay? Speed, go grab me some water."

Tim nodded and quickly left the room, too.

Calleigh sighed uneasily as she realized Horatio was still mumbling his wife's name incoherently. The southerner ignored the crowd that formed at the break room door and tried to think of a plan to keep him calm. She tried to restrain him when he attempted to sit up again, but Horatio was much stronger than he looked. He yanked out of her hold, nearly knocking the blonde over as he struggled to pick himself up.

"Horatio, you need to sit down, _now_," Calleigh said sternly.

"_No! _I need to find Angel!" Horatio growled. He tried to get to his feet but flopped back down to the floor. "I need to find my Angel…"

"What's going on?" Alexx's voice sounded from the hallway. The black woman broke through the threshold of people and entered the break room. "Horatio, sugar, are you okay?"

Horatio didn't respond. He appeared incredibly confused as he gazed absentmindedly at his surroundings. His breaths grew heavy to the point that his entire body rocked back and forth. Upon realizing he wouldn't answer, Alexx turned to Calleigh.

"What happened?"

"His wife is in the hospital," the younger woman explained. "He wasn't supposed to come in today, but you know how Horatio can be."

Tim came back in with a bottle of water, but Alexx stopped him from giving it to the redhead.

"He shouldn't drink anything," Alexx said. "I think he's having an anxiety attack. Timmy, I'm gonna need your help to get Horatio to sit up straight and put his head between his knees."

Speed nodded and set the water bottle down. As he helped Horatio get into a better position, Alexx said, "Horatio, honey. If you can hear me, I need you to take deep breaths. Okay baby?"

Horatio yanked out of the younger male's grip. "I…I-I need to find Angel…" he stammered breathlessly.

"H, you need to calm down," Tim said. He tried to restrain his boss as the redhead attempted to get up again. This time, however, Horatio's reaction was much more violent. The lieutenant quickly gave Speed a strong jab across the jaw, causing the black-haired male to stumble backwards.

"Damn it!" Horatio snarled angrily. "Where's Angel?"

Alexx stood still in shock for a moment before leaning down to take hold of the Caine man's arm. Calleigh leaned down to assist the coroner, but Horatio promptly thrashed forwards, knocking both women to the floor.

The blonde sighed uneasily as she stood upright again. She looked past Tim and Alexx who were still trying to calm Horatio to see the group of onlookers chattering at the door. Calleigh went to shield her boss from the group while saying, "All of you need to get back to work."

Silence consumed the crowd. Every one of them remained unmoving until Calleigh yelled, "_NOW_!"

The Duquesne woman stood in the doorway until each and every one of her coworkers scurried away to their respective departments. She sighed once more as she looked back to her remaining dayshift colleagues who were still trying to restrain their beyond-delusional supervisor. She suddenly sparked an idea and silently whispered a prayer that it was a good one.

"Horatio," Calleigh said soothingly as she rubbed the redhead's shoulder. "I need you to calm down."

"NO! Tell me where Angel is!" Horatio shouted. His breaths were even more jagged than before, and his face was about as red as his hair color.

"I promise I'll take you to Angel," the blonde said softly, still massaging his shoulder. "But you have to calm down first. Take a deep breath…"

Stillness rushed over the room. Horatio remained still, aside from his violent uneven breathing. Speed patted the redhead on his back, saying, "C'mon, H. Breathe."

"Breathe, sugar," Alexx said as she kneeled before Horatio, rubbing his knee.

Finally, H inhaled deeply. He slowly let it out, and Calleigh instructed him to do it again. He obeyed, taking several more deep breaths until his breathing was remotely normal again. Once he was calmer, he laid back down on his side, curling into a fetal position and closing his eyes. Calleigh could tell he still wasn't coherent as he whimpered, "Where are you, Angel…?"

Calleigh couldn't begin to describe how heartbreaking it was to see her supervisor so distraught. Seeing someone as calm and levelheaded as Horatio Caine have an episode like this felt strange. Surreal, even. Calleigh could only hope—and pray—that Angel would get better soon, for the sake of Horatio's sanity.

"He's in here!" Eric yelled from the distance. Calleigh looked up to see her fiancé sprinting down the corridor, two paramedics close behind. Tim, Alexx, and Calleigh stepped backwards to let the medics do their job.

As the redhead was rolled away on a stretcher, Eric spoke softly to his fellow team members; "I overheard that someone already went to IA about H's breakdown. Apparently they're considering investigation to whether he's mentally fit for the position of lieutenant. What are we gonna do?"

Eric, Tim, and Alexx all looked to Calleigh, who was in charge now that Horatio was gone.

Calleigh sighed uneasily. As if things weren't complicated enough, she was going to have IA breathing down her back. As she remembered that Horatio went to not-so-legal measures to get Angel's charges dropped only a few days ago, she knew well enough that the last thing H needed was IA meddling in his personal business.

Though she wasn't entirely sure what she would do, exactly, she replied, "You let me handle IA. For now, go back to work. Pretend nothing happened. If you hear a rumor, squash it right then and there. Horatio has covered our backs plenty of times before and now it's time we do the same for him."

The two male CSIs and coroner nodded simultaneously in agreement and attempted to go about their normal duties.

* * *

Horatio stirred from his dreamless sleep. He looked around him, trying to place where he was. The atmosphere was chilly, and he was lying in a rather uncomfortable bed. The room was small and had little décor—there was only a single chair in the corner and a faux potted plant by the door. There was a television mounted from the top corner of the room. As he looked on to his right, he saw another bed and a curtain that was to separate the two beds into different sections of the room. There were several machines and monitors beside him, one that was monitoring his own heartbeat. It took him entirely too long to finally realize he was in a hospital room, yet his nasty headache probably had something to do with his poor perceptional skills.

"You're finally awake," a feminine voice entered Horatio's thoughts. Horatio looked up to see a young nurse enter the room. "After all those sedatives they gave you, I was wondering if you'd ever wake up."

Horatio frowned in confusion. "Sedatives?"

"You probably don't remember. You were pretty angry when you first came in. You kept asking about your wife. And apparently you're _much_ stronger than you look, because it took about six of seven of us nurses to hold you down. We had to sedate you as a precaution… You were really aggressive. You even gave your doctor a black eye."

Out of everything the young nurse said to him, the redhead had only heard the words "your wife."

"What hospital am I at?" Horatio asked.

"You're at Grace Memorial. And before you ask, yes, Angel is here."

Horatio was a little shocked that the nurse knew Angel's name. Then he came to another realization.

"You're the same nurse who let me see Angel before visiting hours…back when my twins were born. Aren't you?"

The nurse blushed, giving a nervous smile. "Yeah. Yeah, that's me."

"Tell me…what do you know about Angel's condition?"

"I figured you would ask me that. That's why I've been checking in on her for the past few hours. I'm not supposed to be over in her wing of the hospital, though, so I couldn't get too much on her condition other than the fact that she's still alive."

Horatio gave a rather relived sigh. At least he knew Angel was still alive.

"Can I go see her?" the redhead asked.

"If it were up to me, I'd say yes. But it's actually up to your doctor…and considering you punched him the last time you saw him, I'm thinking he'd say no."

Horatio sighed. Upon seeing the disappointment on his face, the female nurse said, "I _could_ try and convince him otherwise…"

The male's face brightened up a bit. "Would you?"

The nurse giggled slightly, "Yeah I'll do it. It's not often that I see a man who cares for his wife as much as you care about Angel. And she really seems to care about you, too. You guys are such a sweet couple."

Horatio smiled weakly in response as the nurse walked away. He waited impatiently for the nurse to return. When she finally came back, Horatio noticed she looked rather defeated.

"He said no?" Horatio asked.

"Well…yes. He said he wants to make sure you're stable before he lets you leave your hospital room." The nurse sighed. "On the upside, he's coming by to check on you in a little bit. Maybe if you show him that you're doing better, he'll let you go see her."

The redhead smiled. "Thank you, nurse…?"

The nurse giggled. "Jenny. Nurse Jenny. And you're welcome. I really hope Angel is going to be okay." Jenny paused. "I have to go do my rounds, but if you need anything, just call."

* * *

It had been several hours since Horatio was admitted to the hospital. The doctor checked on him just as Nurse Jenny said he would, and Horatio couldn't help but cringe when he saw the doctor's black eye that apparently was given to him by the lieutenant himself. In spite of his past violent behavior, Horatio was finally given permission to leave his room and visit Angel, the only condition being that a nurse had to accompany him. Not so surprisingly, Jenny volunteered to be that nurse.

After Horatio dressed himself in his regular clothes, he followed Jenny to a different wing of the hospital. They stopped to talk to Angel's doctor, who notified them that Angel had been doing much better than he expected her to. All the recent tests came back fine and she was making a lot of progress. The doctor even mentioned that he expected her to make a full recovery.

"Is she awake?" Horatio asked.

"Not yet, but she should be waking up soon."

The redhead breathed a sigh of relief. Angel was going to be okay.

A hint of anxiety hit the Caine man when he strolled down the corridor. What if Angel was angry with him for saving her life? What if she didn't want to be helped? Many questions filled his mind as he made his way to her hospital room, and he wasn't sure what to think when he finally saw his wife lying in the hospital room.

She wasn't attached to a respirator, which was a huge improvement from the last time he'd seen her. She was breathing on her own now. As he watched her lying there, he couldn't help but realize how fragile she appeared to be. He slowly approached the bed, almost afraid to touch her.

After several moments, Horatio finally mustered up enough courage to sit alongside her bed and hold her hand. He caressed it gently, running his thumb over her wedding ring.

The male wasn't entirely sure how long he was sitting there, doing nothing but watching his sleeping wife. He knew it had to have been several hours seeing as Jenny went to close the curtains since it was now dark out.

Horatio heard shuffling behind him and briefly took his eyes off of Angel to see Calleigh in the doorway.

"Your doctor told me you'd be here," she said softly. "How's Angel?"

"Well she isn't on a respirator anymore, so that's good. The doctor says she's improving…she should wake up soon."

Calleigh smiled. "I told you she would pull through."

Horatio managed to smile too. "Yeah, you did."

Silence struck the room for a moment. Horatio sensed something was wrong by worried the look on the blonde's face.

"Something's telling me you're not just here for an update on Angel's condition," Horatio said.

Calleigh sighed, indicating that Horatio's assumption was true.

"I'm sure you don't remember what happened earlier today at the lab," she began. "But you had an incident."

Horatio frowned. To be honest, he didn't even remember going to work that day.

"I assume it didn't end well," Horatio said softly.

"…No, it didn't." The blonde sighed again before continuing, "You've been put on administrative leave for eight weeks. IA is considering investigation into your mental health…but from what I'm hearing the most they're going to do is a psych evaluation once you come back."

Horatio said nothing at first. Something told him that he'd made a mistake by trying to go back to work, yet he found he was too preoccupied with making sure Angel got better to even care about his own wellbeing.

"Okay," was all that the redhead said.

"With that being said, Horatio…have you considered counseling?"

"…No, I haven't. And I don't intend on going just because IA thinks I should."

Calleigh wasn't entirely sure why she hadn't seen that coming, especially as she remembered how stubborn Horatio could be.

Despite his words, she still tried to convince him otherwise. "As your friend, Horatio… I think you should at least try and see someone. You've been through a lot over the past few months…your marriage troubles, Sera's breeched birth, and then trying to stay strong while Angel's mental health deteriorated—"

"Thank you for your concern, Calleigh," Horatio interrupted. "But I'm fine."

The female sighed in defeat. Hopefully she could convince him otherwise before the eight weeks of his paid leave was over with.

"Okay," Calleigh replied. "I have to go; I told Eric I'd be home from work an hour ago. I'll be back to check on you and Angel tomorrow."

Horatio nodded a goodbye as Calleigh disappeared back out the door.

* * *

It was getting late, yet Angel still hadn't woken up. Just as Horatio felt himself drifting off, he felt movement beneath his hand. The redhead sat upright to see Angel's eyes flutter open.

"Horatio?" Angel whispered softly.

Horatio grinned. "Hello love," he said, just as softly.

The Caine woman appeared upset. "I'm sorry… You probably hate me for trying to—"

"Sweetheart, I don't hate you at all," he cut her off. "I could _never_ hate you."

Angel avoided her husband's gaze. "I'm so sorry for putting you through all of this…I just…"

The redhead placed a finger to her lips in a shushing motion. "Shh, love. I don't want you to worry about that right now. All I want you to do is get better. Okay?"

Angel nodded slowly, finally looking up into his eyes. "Okay. I love you."

Horatio leaned close to kiss her lips, murmuring, "I love you too, sweetheart."


	26. 25: Relief

Author's Note: Just a bit of clarification: Sera is Seraphina's nickname, and Vari & Gabe are both nicknames used for Gabriel. Sometimes Horatio and Angel call Gabriel by his middle name, Javari. Vari is a nickname for his middle name. Upon reading a review I realized I may not have explained that clearly in the story. I hope it wasn't confusing to anyone who didn't catch on to that earlier.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter! I tried to lighten things up a bit. :)

**Read and review!**

* * *

Chapter 25: Relief

* * *

_**Tuesday, August 30, 2005**_

The next morning, Horatio was finally officially discharged from the hospital. He'd been advised to seek counseling, yet he quickly brushed off those comments and went back to see his wife. On his way, he called his in-laws to let them know Angel was doing okay. They would be by later with the twins for a visit.

While on his way back to Angel's wing of the hospital, Horatio stopped by the gift shop to pick up a bouquet of flowers. He managed to find white roses, which he recalled was Angel's favorite next to purple tulips. Chocolate always seemed to put her in a better mood, so the male bought the biggest box he could find. He then headed back to her room, where he was surprised to see that she was already awake.

"Good morning, love," he said with a smile.

Angel matched his grin with a weaker one of her own. "Good morning, sweetheart."

The male pulled the bouquet of flowers from behind his back, causing his wife's grin to broaden.

"Baby you didn't have to do that," she said, pleasantly surprised.

"I know love," he said, coming closer to give her a peck on the lips. "But I wanted to."

Horatio pulled up a chair beside her bed. He sat the bouquet on the table next to her and opened the box of chocolates.

"Chocolate for breakfast?" Angel said in shock. Out of the two of them, Horatio had always been the more sensible one when it came to meal choices. He would often put her in check if she decided to skip meals or to eat something unhealthy.

Horatio shrugged, picking up a chocolate. "Why not?"

The female giggled slightly as he fed her the chocolate.

"Mmm… cherry," Angel said, licking her lips. She picked up a piece and fed her husband.

"Coconut," Horatio said with a smirk. "My favorite."

The two alternated feeding each other chocolate until the box was nearly empty. Angel shifted uncomfortably as a stomachache set in.

"Okay I never thought I'd say this, but that was _too_ _much_ chocolate," she moaned.

Horatio chuckled as he tried to ignore his own stomachache. "Yeah, I guess we got a little carried away."

After setting the box aside, Horatio held his wife's hand in his. Angel smiled at his gesture, yet her smile slowly melted away when she looked down to his wrist. More specifically, she saw the hospital bracelet on his wrist.

"You were in the hospital?" Angel asked as she pointed to his wrist.

Horatio appeared startled. He thought he'd taken the bracelet off before he left for the gift shop. Apparently he'd forgotten.

"Uh. Yeah… Y-yeah I was," Horatio stammered.

"What happened?"

"I just had a minor incident yesterday…I'm fine. Don't worry about it, love."

Of course, that didn't stop Angel from worrying. "Was it because of me?"

Horatio shook his head fervidly. "No, love. It had nothing to do with you," he lied quickly. "I don't want you to worry about it, okay?"

"…Okay," Angel said softly before falling silent.

The couple remained quiet for a moment until Angel spoke up again.

"Where are the twins?"

"They're staying with Chris and Delilah for a few days. I called them this morning and they'll be bringing them over later this afternoon."

"Oh…okay."

Silence struck the room once more until Angel said, "Baby can I ask you something?"

"Sure, love. What is it?"

"You're not mad at me for everything that I did, are you?"

"Of course not," Horatio said with a warm smile. "You're just going through a tough time right now. I'm not angry with you…I just want you to feel better, sweetheart."

Angel looked down to the floor, saying nothing.

Upon observing the look on her face, Horatio clearly saw it was time to change the subject.

"Do you want to play a game?" he asked.

Angel frowned, confused. "What kind of game?"

"A board game. I can ask one of the nurses to go get one from the recreation center they have. It's on the same floor as us."

The female sighed, shrugging her shoulders. "Sure, I guess we could play checkers or something. It'd give me something to do."

Horatio nodded and went to get a nurse. A few minutes later, he came back with a box of checkers. As he was setting it up, he asked, "Red or black?"

"Red," Angel answered.

The redhead set the red pieces on Angel's side and waited for her to make her move. A few turns in, Horatio noticed she looked rather uninterested in the game. He also noticed that his attempt at cheering her up wasn't going so well. She kept looking down at the floor or across the room, and he clearly saw the unhappiness in her distant gaze.

"Your turn," Horatio said softly.

Angel sighed and made her move. She was rather quiet, Horatio noticed.

"Love, are you okay?" Horatio asked.

"Uh…yeah," Angel answered softly. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Sweetheart, you don't have to lie to me. Let me help you… What's the matter?"

The female sighed again. "It's hard to explain, Horatio."

"You can at least try, love. I'll understand."

"Well…I just feel so unhappy," Angel began. "I thought I would love being a mother, but it's a lot harder than I expected it would be."

"I have to agree with you, love. Parenting isn't as easy as I thought it'd be, either."

"Yeah, but you make it _look_ so easy. It seems like I can never get the babies to calm down."

"Sweetheart you aren't the only one," Horatio assured her. "I have trouble with them too. For some reason, Gabriel spits up on me every time I pick him up. And it's never on his bib or on his clothes. No… it's always on _my_ shirt. And for some reason, Seraphina only cries when I leave the room. It's always when I'm already down the hallway and almost at the master bedroom, too. It almost seems as if she times it that way."

Angel managed to snicker slightly at the mental images his comments brought.

"And let's not forget that the both of them cry when the other one cries," Horatio continued.

Angel groaned at the memory. "Ugh, how could I forget? Sometimes I wish I had another pair of arms, because it's impossible to hold both twins _and_ get them what they both want all by myself."

"I've been there, too," Horatio said, smiling slightly. "Y'know, love…I think I should stay home with you more often to help take care of the kids. Even after my leave is over, I'm going to take days off from work more often so I can help you."

Angel caught a key phrase that Horatio barely noticed he'd said. "What do you mean…after your leave is over? You're on leave from work?"

The redhead flinched. "Uh…yes. Long story."

"What happened?" Angel asked.

"Well…it has to do with why I was in the hospital. But I don't want you to worry about that, sweetheart."

"Baby that can't be your answer for everything," Angel said. "Tell me the truth. Please?"

The male appeared very uncomfortable now. He didn't want to lie to his wife, but he didn't particularly want to tell her the truth, either.

"I had an anxiety attack when I went back to work," Horatio finally broke down and told her the truth. "I don't remember any of it. But apparently it was bad enough to land me in the hospital and have me put on paid leave for the next eight weeks."

Angel sighed. "And it's because of me. I'm sorry I put you through that, Horatio."

"Love, it's okay. I don't want you to feel bad about it," the male quickly replied. "And in the end, it actually works out. Now I can spend time with you and the twins."

Angel smiled weakly, saying nothing. Horatio looked down to the checkerboard before them.

"So are we finishing our game?" he asked. He smirked mischievously. "Or are you scared now because I'm beating you?"

The female's grin strengthened. "Don't get all cocky now. I'm _letting_ you win."

"Oh really? Well how about we start over and play a _real_ game this time?"

Angel giggled. "You're on."

* * *

Later that afternoon, Chris called Horatio to let him know he, Delilah, Jasmine, and the twins were on their way. He also told H that Danté and Daniella were coming too. Horatio noticed Angel appeared to be doing a little better emotionally, and he hoped the visit from her family would help her feel even better.

A little while later, Jasmine showed up first.

"Hey Auntie," Jasmine said with a smile. "How you feelin'?"

"I'm okay, Jas. Could be better. Where are your parents and the twins?"

"They're on their way here."

Angel paused as she made a connection. "Wait. That means…you drove here yourself?"

Jasmine's grin broadened and she nodded fervidly. "I got my license on Friday. Dad let me drive his truck here."

Angel reached over to hug her niece. "I'm so proud of you, little girl."

"Thanks," she said as they pulled away. "Oh and I started classes at Dade Community College yesterday. I am officially a Culinary Arts major. Thanks to a talk with Uncle H."

Horatio smirked as Jasmine leaned over to kiss him on the cheek.

"You two are too cute," Angel said with a grin.

"There's Mommy," Delilah's voice entered the room. She came in holding Sera, and Chris came close behind his wife holding Gabe.

"Hi sweeties," Angel said to her children.

Angel's happy reunion with her children was truncated when she heard shouting from down the hallway. She recognized that voice—it was Danté. She also knew from the many heated arguments she'd had with him in the past that he sounded none too pleased. Sure enough, an angered Danté Lopez stormed into the room a moment later.

"What the hell is wrong with you!" he shouted at Angel, startling everyone in the room with his furious tone. "Do you realize what could've happened to you?"

"Danté, I don't think now is the time," Horatio tried to intervene.

Danté heard his brother-in-law but ignored him. "I can't believe you did something so _stupid! _Bad enough I lost A.J. last year, but now I almost lost you?"

"I'm sorry," Angel said softly.

"_Sorry_? You're _sorry?_" Danté screamed in outrage.

"Danté, chill out," Chris told his brother.

Danté wouldn't hear it, though. He continued screaming; "Ang you went into cardiac arrest! You almost DIED! And you _know_ what it's like not having a mom around! Why the fuck would you put your kids through the same thing we went through?"

"That's _enough_, Danté!" Chris shouted. "Calm down!"

At this point Angel was in tears. Danté felt tears of his own coming and angrily pounded the wall before storming back out the room and down the hallway. Chris transferred Gabriel into his wife's free arm and went to talk to his younger brother.

Silence hit the room, aside from Angel's sniffling. Jasmine sat near her aunt and rubbed her shoulder. "I'm sure he didn't mean it, Auntie. You know how hotheaded Uncle Danté always is."

"But he was right," Angel mumbled as her tears spilled over. "I know how hard it is not to have a mother around. I can't believe I almost put Seraphina and Gabriel through that."

"You made a mistake, love, but it's okay," Horatio jumped in. "The important thing is now you're going to get some help."

Another awkward stillness consumed the room. Delilah looked down to the babies in her arms. As an attempt to lighten the mood, she said, "How about we focus on the little ones for a while? Gabriel can go to Daddy, and Seraphina can go to Mommy."

Delilah carefully transferred Gabriel into Horatio's arms and Seraphina into Angel's. The Caine woman gradually stopped crying and became preoccupied with watching her daughter sleep. She then looked over to her husband.

Suddenly, Angel started giggling. Everyone in the room appeared confused on what was so funny until Angel pointed to Horatio's shirt and said, "Gabriel spit up on you again."

Horatio looked down to his shirt, which had a large stain in the middle of it courtesy of his son. The Caine man chuckled. "Daddy's widdle man is gonna have to get a job soon so he can pay for Daddy's dry-cleaning," he said.

Angel shook her head, still laughing. "Here. Give me Vari and you hold Sera."

The couple switched babies. "You're not going to spit up on Daddy too, are you princess?" H asked.

"She's asleep, Horatio," Angel reminded him. "I doubt she'll spit up on you when she's sleeping."

The redhead shrugged. "You never can be too sure."

The Lopezes gathered around the Caine family, admiring the two babies. Daniella arrived, along with Chris coming back. Danté never returned, but the other Lopezes successfully distracted Angel from thinking about his outburst. Hours passed quickly as the family enjoyed each other's company. Horatio noticed that Angel seemed a bit happier than she'd been recently.

After a while, Chris mentioned he had to get going since he had to meet a client at the gym in the morning. Delilah left with her husband and the Caine children, but not before letting Angel that she would be back the following day with the twins. Daniella had to leave since she had an early day at work the next day, and Jasmine left too since she had class the next morning.

Once the Caine couple was alone in the hospital room once more, Horatio asked, "Do you want me to spend the night with you, love?"

"You don't have to do that," Angel said with a shake of the head. "Besides, I know you've been here for days. You should try and get some rest at home."

Horatio didn't appear at all satisfied with this answer. "Are you sure, sweetheart?"

"I'm positive, baby," Angel said, nodding her head. "I'll be fine by myself."

"…Okay. I'll be back first thing tomorrow morning, I promise," Horatio said as he reluctantly picked himself up from the chair beside Angel's bed. "Maybe I can get Nurse Jenny to sneak me back in to see you before visiting hours begin."

Angel smiled a little at his eager tone.

The redhead leaned down to kiss his wife's lips before slowly making his way to the door. "I love you, sweetheart."

"I love you too, Horatio," Angel replied. "See you tomorrow."


	27. 26: Treatment

Chapter 26: Treatment

* * *

_**Wednesday, August 31, 2005**_

Horatio returned to Grace Memorial the next morning. He made it there just before visiting hours began, but he wasn't fortunate enough to see Jenny or any other nurse who would let him in before seven o'clock. While he waited for the visiting hours to officially begin, he went to buy breakfast for his wife and himself. After remembering the horrid stomachache he'd given the both of them the day before, he figured he'd buy something more sensible than chocolate.

Horatio was finally able to enter Angel's hospital room after he'd gotten the food. He greeted her with a smile as he came into the room. "Good morning, love."

"Morning, baby. You brought real food this time," she said with a small smile of her own.

"I did. And I remember how much you hate hospital food, so I figured I'd get you something from the cafeteria instead." He pulled food from the bag and smiled. "They had breakfast burritos."

Horatio pulled a seat alongside his wife's bed and ate breakfast with her. Once they were done, the male cleared the trash away. Just as he was about to sit back down, there was a knock at the door.

"Mrs. Caine?" their visitor said. "I'm Dr. Jerry Allison from Miami Psychiatric Health Center. I need to ask you a few questions…"

The doctor trailed off as he looked to Horatio. Angel caught that the doctor was trying to send her husband away and said, "I want him to stay here."

"Are you sure, sweetheart?" Horatio asked softly. "I can go outside…"

"I want you to stay here," Angel repeated, grabbing hold of his hand for added emphasis.

Not wanting to argue with her, Horatio only nodded.

Dr. Allison pulled out a clipboard and started questioning her. Angel figured this day would come, the day when she would be questioned about her mental health. The first few questions didn't bother her at all, since she saw them coming. Whether or not she had feelings of hopelessness. Whether or not she was uninterested in things that once held her attention. How severe her mood swings were.

But then the doctor threw a curveball in. He started asking her questions about how she felt about her twins. Angel really didn't want to talk about those horrid thoughts, especially not with her husband in the room.

"Mrs. Caine?" the doctor called.

"Answer the question, love," Horatio said softly, gently squeezing her hand.

"Uh…can you repeat the question?" Angel said, apprehension showing clearly in her voice.

"Have you ever heard voices that no one else could hear?" Dr. Allison asked once more.

Angel closed her eyes and nodded her head silently.

"What did they tell you?" the doctor continued.

"They were always about hurting the children. That's why I had to leave them at my brother's house a lot…because I didn't want to hurt them."

"Have you ever tried to hurt your children?"

The female opened her eyes and looked over to Horatio.

"It's okay, love," Horatio whispered. "Answer the question truthfully."

Angel sighed and looked up to the psychiatrist. "I started to a few times…but I never could go through with it."

Dr. Allison scribbled something on his clipboard silently.

The room fell deathly silent. Angel shifted uncomfortably in her place. Horatio caught his wife's nervous reaction. As an attempt to ease her tension, he caressed her hand with his thumb and kissed her cheek.

Finally, the doctor spoke. "Based on your answers to my questions, Mrs. Caine, I believe you're suffering from postpartum psychosis. It is the rarest out of all the postpartum mood disorders, but with treatment, it disappears completely within a matter of weeks and you'll feel just as you did before you got pregnant. From then on, you won't need medication and the only way it can return is if you have another pregnancy.

"Once you're released from this hospital, you'll be transferred to Miami Psychiatric Health Center for in-patient care. You'll be on a 72-hour hold, meaning you'll be there for a minimum of three days. After your hold is over, we'll see whether you need to stay longer or if you can be released."

Angel sank down in her bed, closing her eyes after she'd been given her official diagnosis. Horatio thanked the doctor as he left. He then turned back to his wife, who was crying. Horatio leaned down to pull the female into his arms.

"Sweetheart it's going to be okay," he said, rubbing her back. "You heard what the doctor said. After the treatment, you'll be back to how you were feeling before you got pregnant. Things will be fine."

"You're forgetting one thing, Horatio—it'll come back if I get pregnant again," Angel murmured through her tears. "That means I'll have to go through this all over again if we want another child."

"Love, let's not worry about that right now," Horatio said. "We'll cross that bridge when we get there. Right now we just need to focus on you getting better. Okay?"

The male lifted his wife's head to wipe her tears from her face. He tilted his head to the side, giving her a charming smile. Angel couldn't help but smile a little at the look on his face.

"Okay," she finally said.

* * *

_**Monday, September 5, 2005**_

It was nearly a week since Angel's condition improved. She was released from Grace Memorial and transferred Miami Psychiatric Health Center Sunday night. Now that Horatio had time off from work, he could spend much more quality time with his twins.

That Monday morning while the babies were napping, Horatio tried to acquaint himself with the rules for Angel's new hospital. As he logged on to the psychiatric hospital's website, he found that there were numerous pages of them. The part that frustrated him the most was that there was only a two-hour visiting period with strict regulations. Angel could only have two visitors at a time—including children—which meant he couldn't bring the twins to see their mother. He would have to wait until six that evening to see her, too. Nevertheless, Horatio figured Angel getting the treatment she needed was far more important than not being able to see her for that long.

Horatio was brought out of his thoughts when he heard his babies crying from the baby monitor. As he looked to the clock, he realized it was about the time that they both wanted to be fed. Upon spending more time with his children, he noticed they wanted a bottle roughly every three hours. He found that looking for patterns in their behaviors made things a lot easier when he cared for the twins.

The male went into the kitchen to prepare two bottles. He then took them into the nursery, where he stood over the cribs and fed both babies at the same time. Once he burped both babies, he took them into his arms.

"You want to come in Daddy's room and keep him company?" he said to the twins. The babies cooed and gurgled in response, causing the father to smile. He took them into the master bedroom and laid both on the bed before him. Seraphina gazed around the master bedroom, apparently amazed by the change of scenery. Gabriel was too interested in playing with his feet to even care that he'd been moved somewhere other than his crib.

Horatio carefully got up to get the remote for the TV. In that brief moment, Seraphina lost sight of her father and started crying.

"Aw, what's wrong princess?" Horatio asked as he sat back on the bed. As soon as he held the little girl in his arms, she stopped crying.

"Looks like Daddy's widdle princess is spoiled already," the father joked and laughed. Seraphina giggled with her father.

Gabriel grew bored with playing with his feet and looked for something else to do. As he was lying near Horatio's lap, he pulled the bottom of Horatio's shirt into his mouth and gazed up at his father and sister. Somehow unsurprisingly, he spit up on Horatio's shirt again.

"Oh, Gabriel…not again…" Horatio said with a sigh. He couldn't help but laugh when he saw his son giggle. "You owe Daddy a new shirt. _Again_."

Horatio found that waiting for the evening time to come around was much more tolerable when he was playing with his children. He turned the television on to a kiddy show. Sera watched it in amazement, giggling and cooing back at the television. Gabriel was more interested in sucking on Horatio's shirt to care about anything else. The father made a mental note to change before he went to see Angel that evening since his shirt was covered in baby drool and spit-up stains.

As the time wound down, Horatio started to get the twins ready for their visit with Chris. After he packed the baby bag, he hopped in the shower to get ready for his visit with Angel. He quickly dressed himself, splashing on some cologne that his wife bought him a while ago. Once he was ready, he took the twins out to the car and headed over to his in-laws' house.

"Daddy's going to see Mommy for a little while," Horatio spoke to his twins as he started to unbuckle their car seats once he arrived at the Lopez residence. "I'll be back in a few hours, back in time for your next baba."

Horatio rang the doorbell and Chris answered. The taller male smirked, stepping back and gazing over his redheaded brother-in-law.

"Damn, H! I thought you were going to visit my sis in the hospital, not take her out on a date," the Lopez brother joked.

Horatio smiled as he carried the babies inside. "I just want to look nice for her, that's all."

"Mm-hmm, _sure_. But I think that fancy cologne might give Angel some other ideas."

Horatio shot Chris a look, causing the younger male to throw his hands up in surrender. "Okay, okay I'm done messin' with you. You said you'd be back at eight-thirty?"

"Yeah. Possibly sooner…I only can be with Angel from six to eight. I'm going to bring her some dinner, so I need to hurry up and go by her favorite restaurant so I can get there on time."

Chris frowned as he looked over to a clock nearby. "H, it's not even five yet."

"I know, but I have to give myself enough time just in case Piccola Italia is slow because of the early-dinner crowd," Horatio replied. "I spent all day planning this out. I gave myself forty-five minutes to get the food, then thirty minutes to get across town in traffic. I should get there with about ten minutes to spare."

The Lopez man shook his head. "You've been around my OCD sister too long. Soon you'll be planning dinner parties and spazzing out because the salad forks aren't on the right side of the plate."

Horatio chuckled. "I don't think I'll ever be _that_ bad. I'll see you in a few hours, Chris."

Chris walked his brother-in-law back to the door. "I'll see ya', H."

* * *

About an hour and a half later, Horatio's plan fell right into place, and he actually made it to the psychiatric hospital with a little time to spare. No one would let him in early, though, because of their strict policy. Horatio was relieved when six o'clock rolled around and he was able to be escorted into a visitors' room. A nurse came in with Angel a few minutes after Horatio arrived.

"Hey baby!" Angel said happily as she ran into his arms.

Horatio smiled back at his wife and pulled her in for a hug. "Hi sweetheart."

Horatio started to pull away, but Angel pulled him back in as she caught the scent of her husband's cologne.

"Mmm…you smell good, baby," Angel said with a grin as she finally pulled away. "That must be the Armani cologne I got you last Christmas. 'Bout time you actually wore it."

"Nothing gets past you, love," the male chuckled. He wasn't sure why he was so amazed that Angel placed his scent so quickly. This was the same woman who could easily distinguish the difference between eggshell and taupe when they were picking out paint colors for them nursery.

The two sat down at a table where Horatio set out the food for his wife. As the two ate, Horatio noticed Angel appeared significantly more cheerful than she had been recently. It was almost as if he were looking back in time, back when they had first been married.

"You seem to be doing better, love," Horatio said to her.

"Yeah…that's probably because of the medication they gave me. My doctor says injections work much quicker than the pills, so they started me off with injections and they'll switch to the pills in a few days," Angel said.

She started to say something else, but her words were stopped by a lengthy yawn.

"Sleepy already?" the redhead asked.

"Mm, sort of. It's a side-effect of the meds. It's kinda irritating because I start getting sleepy around seven o'clock now." She sighed. "At least I can get a good night's rest now."

Silence hit them for a moment until Angel spoke up again.

"Where are the babies? At Chris's house again?"

"Yeah. Unfortunately I couldn't bring the both of them here, according to the visiting rules."

"Yeah they have some weird rules around here," Angel said softly to avoid having the nurse at the door hear her. "They took the laces out of my shoes because shoelaces aren't allowed. They don't allow any jewelry, either. They even made me take off my wedding ring."

Horatio held up his left hand, which was missing his ring and watch. "They wouldn't let me come back here with jewelry either."

Angel sighed again, this time in frustration. She propped her elbows up on the table and held her head in her hands. "I can't wait until I can go home. This place may be a mental hospital, but it's driving me _insane_."

Horatio pressed his lips together to hold in his laugh. Though he could tell she was genuinely frustrated, he couldn't help but find the irony of her last statement a bit humorous. He was just glad Angel's hair was draped in front of her face so she couldn't see him.

"How are things at home?" Angel asked, not noticing her husband's silent amusement.

"Things are going well. But I'm convinced that Gabe thinks my shirt is his own personal bib."

Angel giggled and looked up to him. "Is he _still_ spitting up on you? Weird…I never had that problem with him."

"Gee, thanks for rubbing in, love."

"Oh my bad, babe. If it makes you feel any better, Sera doesn't like it when I sing to her. Every time I sing or even hum with her around, she starts crying."

"That's strange…Sera _loves_ it when I sing to her."

Angel pursed her lips. "She must be a Daddy's girl, then."

"Well if it's any consolation…I think Gabriel is a Momma's boy. He definitely gives me more trouble than he gives you," Horatio said with a grin.

The couple talked about their twins for a while longer, and Angel found herself missing her two children dearly.

"I can't wait until I see our babies again," Angel said. "Even if Seraphina doesn't want me to sing to her."

"They both miss you," said Horatio. "They may be young, but I can tell they notice you're not around."

"I miss them too. Can you give them both a kiss from me tonight?"

"Of course I can, love."

"Five minutes until visiting hours are over," a nurse said from the doorway.

Horatio sighed uneasily as he saw the other patients saying goodbye to their love ones. He looked back to Angel and said, "I prepared for everything about this visit except for the hardest part."

Angel frowned a little. "What was that?"

"The goodbye," the Caine male replied.

Angel let out an uneasy sigh of her own. "Yeah, this _is_ the hardest part. Well…you're coming back tomorrow, right?"

"Of course, love. I'll bring you dinner again, too."

Angel stood up as she saw the nurse approach her in her peripheral and she said, "I have to go now. There's a group therapy session that starts at eight-fifteen and I'm supposed to be there."

Horatio stood up and took his wife into his arms, hugging her tightly. As he held her in his arms, he realized he really didn't want to let go.

"Babe…you have to let me go," Angel murmured.

"I know…but I don't wanna," Horatio near whined.

After a while Horatio finally let her go. Angel pulled away, but not before giving him a peck on the lips. "I'll see you tomorrow, baby. I love you."

Horatio sighed as he watched his wife get escorted back out of the visitor's room.

"…I love you too," he replied softly.


	28. 27: Home Sweet Home

Chapter 27: Home Sweet Home

* * *

Horatio smiled over at his wife who pushed their children in the double-wide stroller. They decided to take a walk in the park with the twins now that Angel was released from the psychiatric hospital and was back home. Horatio knew it felt good to be with his family again—his whole family.

The redhead saw Angel look back behind her and smile. She wasn't smiling at him, Horatio noticed; no…her gaze was directed off in the distance.

"What is it, love?" Horatio asked.

"I see my brother," Angel said happily. "I'll be back."

Horatio placed his hands on the stroller and watched his wife walk away to the Lopez male several yards away. Horatio couldn't make out which brother it was, though, because of the distance. He slowly made his way over to Angel and her brother.

Even upon getting closer, Horatio found he still couldn't recognize which one of Angel's brothers this man was. It wasn't Danté, Chris, or Carlos. The three of them had a caramel complexion. The man standing beside Angel had a mocha skin tone that matched Angel's own. Horatio couldn't remember what Eddie and Adrian looked like, though; he had only met them once and it had been a while since then.

Angel saw her husband coming and said, "Hey, baby, I'm going with my brother for a little while. Is that okay?"

Horatio frowned. Before he could say yes or no, though, Angel had already walked off with the mystery man. Horatio racked his brain, quickly flipping through his mental rolodex of memories. Who was this man? Had they even met before? Was he even Angel's brother?

Finally, a thought came to mind. Horatio _had_ met this man before. It was a Thursday afternoon in February of 2004, and Horatio arrived at a crime scene on the edge of Miami. When the redhead finally made the connection, he was still confused.

"A.J.?" he whispered to himself.

Panic set in when Horatio saw Andrés, Jr. place his arm around Angel's shoulder. A.J. was going to take Angel away from him, Horatio finally realized.

The siblings were far ahead of him, and though Horatio was sure he couldn't catch up, he started running after the two. He couldn't possibly lose Angel, not again.

"Angel!" he called frantically as he ran as fast as he possibly could. "Angel, come back!"

No matter how fast he ran, though, he just couldn't catch up. Horatio then noticed that the park around him wasn't a park at all. As he slowed his pace to catch his breath, he saw what he recognized to be several rows of tombstones beside him. Horatio's heart sank as he saw what was coming.

"Angel, don't leave me!" The redhead cried, hoping his wife would hear him and come back.

Horatio's voice echoed stridently throughout the vacant cemetery. Angel slowly turned around. She smiled weakly, blowing a kiss at him before turning back around and disappearing into the distance with Andrés.

* * *

_**Saturday, September 10, 2005**_

"ANGEL, NO!" Horatio cried as he jolted awake. He gazed around him frantically, only to find he was in his bed. The male sighed, running his hand over his face. This had been one of many nightmares he'd dreamt since Angel had tried to kill herself. Now, two weeks later, she was to be released from the psychiatric hospital that Saturday afternoon. Though she was doing better, Horatio still had constant nightmares of Angel dying or being taken away from him in some way.

The male sighed as he looked at the clock. It was nearly 7am, around the usual time that he got ready for work. Since he didn't have to go in to work, though, Horatio considered going back to sleep. However, his plan to sleep in was compromised when he heard wailing from the baby monitor. Horatio picked himself up from the bed and slunk down the hallway to the nursery. When he got there, he saw that Sera was crying and Gabriel was still asleep.

"What's wrong, princess?" the father asked his baby girl as he picked her up. He felt her diaper and noticed she needed to be changed. The moment Horatio finished changing Seraphina, Gabriel started crying.

Horatio placed Seraphina in her crib and went to pick up Gabriel. He shushed the boy, saying, "What is it buddy? Your diaper doesn't need changing… Are you hungry? I bet your sister is hungry, too."

The father remembered that it was about time for the twins' first bottle of the day. He scooped up both babies and carried them into the kitchen. He carefully sat them in separate high chairs and went to prepare their baby formula. Once he finished, he pulled a chair up before the two highchairs and fed both babies at once.

Horatio recalled that at one point, he had a tough time figuring out what his children wanted when they cried. Now after having spent so much time with them, Horatio found that he could easily tell what each of them wanted. He also knew that despite them being twins, Gabriel and Seraphina had two completely different personalities. He could tell this by the way that Sera always cried when she needed to be changed, but Gabriel never cried when he had a dirty diaper. Seraphina didn't seem to enjoy being held when she was sleepy. She always fell asleep in her crib, never in her parents' arms. Gabe, on the other hand, couldn't go to sleep unless he was being held. This was just some of the many things Horatio had picked up on when he cared for them over the past several weeks.

After the father fed and burped both babies, he fixed himself a quick breakfast and ate himself. After cleaning up the mess he made in the kitchen, Horatio realized he had quite some left until he was to pick up Angel from the hospital later that afternoon. He figured he'd give the twins a bath before showering off himself.

Horatio went to gather the things for the babies' bath and ran some warm water in the baby bath over the kitchen sink. Once everything was ready, he brought both babies to the sink and gave them their bath. Sera giggled as she splashed in the water. She always seemed to like taking her bath, Horatio remembered. On the other hand, Gabriel always started crying when he had to be bathed, and today was no exception. Horatio shushed the baby boy and tried to distract him from the bath by giving him a rubber duck to play with. The boy became preoccupied by making the toy duck squeak and he soon began giggling too.

Horatio smiled down at his two little children. They both seemed so happy. And seeing his loved ones happy made him happy too. The only thing that would make this moment absolutely perfect would be if Angel was standing by his side.

Horatio's heart dropped as he recalled how unhappy Angel had been over the last few months. However, she seemed to be doing significantly better now, especially when he'd seen her the day before. Now that she was taking the medication on a regular basis and had counseling again, she seemed to be as cheerful as she was when he first married her.

And though she seemed back to normal and things were finally okay again, Horatio couldn't help but feel he was to blame for her feeling upset in the first place. When he thought about it rationally, he knew it didn't make any sense. But there was still that small, irrational part of him that would always blame himself, no matter what the real reason behind Angel's depression was.

Horatio shook himself from those thoughts and finished bathing the twins. He quickly dried them off and put clean diapers on each of them before wrapping them in their blankets and putting them back in their cribs.

When he went to shower himself, Horatio found himself thinking about what things would've been like if Angel _hadn't_ made it. He wasn't so sure why the thought crossed his mind, but the more he thought of it, the more it upset him.

As he finished showering and dried off, Horatio forced himself to think of something much happier, like the fact that Angel was coming home soon. He would finally be able to hold her in his arms at night and fall asleep with her right by his side. He could finally be happy again now that Angel was back to her normal self. And once Angel came home, his family would be complete again. Horatio felt he himself would be complete again too, for it was no mystery that Angel was a part of him. With her back, every aspect of his life would be whole again. He'd spent the past two weeks yearning for that feeling of completion in his family and the wholeness within himself.

At three o'clock, Angel was finally coming home.

Horatio felt much better now that he thought of something happier. That happiness was replaced with frustration as he looked to the clock, which read 9am.

"Six more hours," Horatio murmured to himself. "Just six more hours…"

* * *

Eric and Calleigh were on their way to pick up Sabrina from daycare after having worked a partial-shift early that Saturday afternoon. With Horatio gone, the rest of the dayshift team had to put in a small amount of overtime hours in order to get things done in a timely manner. They didn't have that much of an issue when it came to time efficiency now, seeing as the crime rate was down and incoming cases were few in numbers.

But whether they had few new cases or not, the engaged couple knew that when it came time for their wedding and honeymoon, the lab couldn't afford to lose three CSIs at one time. Horatio wasn't scheduled to come back from leave until November, and the Delkos' wedding date was still set for October 1st. They didn't have a plan on what they would do about this predicament, but seeing as they already made a nonrefundable deposit on their hotel room several months ago and their wedding was merely three weeks away, they knew they had to formulate a plan soon.

"Hey Cal," Eric began as he stopped at a red light. "What are we going to do about our wedding and honeymoon? Are we still going to be able to leave for Disney World next month?"

"I think so. The chief said he's looking into getting us some temporary help since Horatio's supposed to be gone until November. Maybe I can talk him into hiring a couple more temps so you and I can both leave without worrying about leaving poor Speed by his lonesome," Calleigh responded.

"That'd work out perfectly," the Delko man said as he gazed back to the light that had turned green. "Now all we need to do is finish planning our wedding."

"We don't have much else to plan. We've already set the colors for chocolate brown and cream. I've already bought my wedding dress. But I haven't been able to take my bridesmaids shopping for their outfits because of what recently happened with Angel. I hope she's still up for being a bridesmaid, though."

"I think she might. I talked to H a little while ago. I called him during my break just to check in and see how he was doing. He says Angel is doin' better and she's coming home today. Maybe if you go sometime next week, she'll be rested enough to go out shopping with you and Natasha."

"Good idea, Eric," Calleigh said with a smile. "It's no wonder you're my better half."

Calleigh's comment made Eric give the widest grin she'd ever seen him smile.

Silence fell over the two until Eric said, "So, Natasha is your maid of honor?"

Calleigh smiled. "Yeah… How'd you know?"

"Well I just figured that any woman who can get someone as uninterested in girly things as you are to hold a conversation about manicures and pedicures on a regular basis deserves to be your maid of honor."

Calleigh snickered at her fiancé's comment. "I'm not _that_ much of a tomboy, am I?"

"Not _that_ much, no. But I haven't seen you paint your nails since I've met you. Not to mention the last time you went to get your nails done, you complained about how much of a waste of time and money it was. But that's not the only reason I guessed Natasha. I know you and her have been hangin' out a lot lately, even without me and Speed there. I'm just curious on what you two do other than get pedicures and manicures."

The blonde giggled. "Well a few weeks ago we went to the shooting range. You wouldn't believe how accurate Natasha when it came to hitting that target. I was tempted to suggest her name to Horatio for PD recruitment."

Delko smiled a little. "Shooting range, huh? Wow. Natasha really _does_ deserve to be your maid of honor," he jested.

Calleigh pursed her lips and gave the Latino a playful punch on the shoulder. Eric winced.

"I'll have you know that Natasha happens to _like_ going to the shooting range," the blonde defended herself. "She's the one who suggested we go. She's even thinking of buying a gun and wants my input."

Eric chuckled. "R'lax, Cal, I was just kidding. But all jokes aside, I'm glad you found someone who likes the same things you do."

"Thank you," Calleigh said with a smile. She reached up to rub his shoulder. "I didn't hit you too hard, did I? I saw how bad you winced."

"Let me just say this—I feel bad for anyone who tries to steal your purse in a dark alley. With a punch like that, they might not make it out alive. And if you have your gun on you—and face it, you _always_ do—then it's all over."

The woman couldn't help but laugh at her fiancé's joke. "Whatever, Eric."

* * *

Horatio carried his two children into the lobby of Miami Psychiatric Health Center. As he placed the two baby-carriers on the floor and glanced at his watch, he realized he was about ten minutes early. After having visited Angel here for about a week, Horatio knew well enough that this place's policy wouldn't allow Angel to be released a minute before three o'clock.

"Mr. Caine," the woman at the front desk greeted him. Horatio wasn't sure why he was so surprised that the secretary knew his name. He was there so much that he shouldn't have been surprised if the whole staff knew his name.

"Yes?" he answered.

"Your wife most likely won't be released until three-thirty or four," the woman told him. "The doctors haven't quite finished the paperwork yet. You don't have to wait here if you don't want to."

Horatio sighed irritably, glancing down at his shades in his hands. What he really wanted to do was charge behind those double doors and bring Angel out himself. And though of course he knew couldn't do that, that didn't stop him from trying to figure out how he could get Angel out before time.

"Uh. I'll wait here," Horatio responded. He picked up his children and slunk over to a chair in the waiting area.

Never before had the Caine man felt so antsy in his life. He looked down at his sleeping children, then down at his sunglasses. After what seemed like a long while, he glanced to his watch. Three o'clock. The redhead sighed and fiddled with his shades some more. He looked back to his watch. 3:05.

_Five minutes? It's only been five damn minutes?_ Horatio thought to himself in silent outrage.

Horatio wanted to scream. There was no way he could take waiting thirty-plus more minutes. He wanted Angel to come out _now_.

Figuring things would be much more tolerable if he thought of something else other than waiting, Horatio tried to think of what he'd do once Angel came home. They definitely could use some fun, he knew. Angel loved anything related to sea life. Taking two small babies on a boat probably wasn't the best idea, but maybe Horatio could take his family to the local aquarium. Angel would love it, and hopefully the twins would love it too.

Then there was the park. Horatio knew that Angel liked going to the park too, as he recalled the many times she convinced him to go for walks with her in the evenings. The redhead smiled to himself as he remembered their latest encounter at the park. It wasn't anything sexual; no…the couple had only gone to the playground and played just as any child would. They slid down the slides, swung in swings, and climbed on the jungle gym. And surprisingly, Horatio had so much fun with her that he didn't care about the crazed looks they got from passersby. Horatio chuckled as he knew no one else had the power to convince him to go play at a park like a child.

No one else except Angel.

Horatio glanced up when he heard shuffling on the other side of the room. Someone was coming through the double doors. He smiled as he saw who that someone was.

"Angel!" Horatio said. He stood up and rushed across the room. He promptly swept his wife into his arms, hugging her as tightly he possibly could.

Angel giggled as Horatio finally set her down. "I guess it's safe to say that you missed me a little, huh?"

"If by 'a little' you mean extremely and unbearably so, then yes, that's how much I missed you," Horatio replied.

Angel started to say something, but she was cut off by him reeling her in for a long, passionate kiss.

"Okay wow," Angel said breathlessly as they pulled away. "I don't think you've _ever_ kissed me that hard before."

"Sorry love," Horatio said sheepishly. "I just really missed you."

"I really missed you too, baby," Angel responded.

Horatio grinned. He dropped his hand to hers and led her back over to their children, who were both awake. Once they caught glimpse of Angel, the two babies smiled and squealed in delight.

"Hi, sweeties!" Angel said happily. "Did you miss Mommy? Mommy missed you too."

Horatio smiled as he watched Angel kneel down and kiss both babies. His heart soared at the very thought—Angel was finally back with him. His family was whole again.

The man reached down to help his wife stand back up to her feet and said, "Let's get you home."

Angel smiled as she stood upright and took a handle to one of the baby carriers. Horatio took the other one and led her out to the car.


	29. 28: Love, Peace, and Happiness

Author's Note: I would've posted earlier but I wasn't entirely satisfied with this chapter and I've been doing some editing. (I'm a perfectionist and VERY OCD, just like Angel. Please forgive me.)

I'm dedicating the flashback portion of this chapter to my good friend NashMarquez, since she was the one who gave me the idea for that scene.

To all of my readers, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and please don't forget to review!

* * *

Chapter 28: Love, Peace, and Happiness

* * *

_**Saturday, September 10, 2005**_

That night, Horatio and Angel were just turning in for bed. Horatio seemed exhausted, Angel noticed, despite the fact that he tried so hard not to show it. Once they got home, Horatio spent a long time planning things for the family of four to do together. Angel didn't mind this. Now that she was feeling better, she couldn't wait to spend more time with her family.

But the one thing that concerned her, though, was the fact that Horatio didn't quite seem like himself. When he talked to her that afternoon, she noticed his speech was garbled at times. He quickly brushed it off and told her he was just excited to have her back. She figured the real reason was that he wasn't able to sleep well recently. She knew well enough that Horatio wasn't getting a full night's rest, whether he admitted to it or not. The bags underneath his eyes were the biggest tip-off.

Angel's accusation was confirmed as fact once she came into the bedroom and saw him sleeping on top of the covers without having changed into his pajamas. Angel gently shook his shoulder to wake him.

"Baby wake up. You need to change and get under the covers," she said softly.

Horatio groaned groggily before he sat upright. Realizing that he wouldn't make it to the dresser, Angel went to get his clothes for him. He could barely keep his eyes open, the female realized. Angel helped him strip down to his boxers. Seeing as he'd fallen asleep again, Angel figured that was good enough. She carefully pulled the blanket on top of him and kissed his lips.

"Good night, baby," she whispered before going to change into her nightgown and turning in herself.

* * *

Angel stirred from her sleep when she heard her husband moaning. As she turned on the light and rolled over, the first thing she noticed was Horatio's pained expression. She heard him say her name, yet he was still sleeping. He was having a nightmare, she finally realized.

Angel gently shook her husband. "Baby, wake up."

"Angel, come back…" he murmured in his sleep.

Angel shook him a bit harder. "Horatio wake up. You're having a nightmare."

The male finally jolted awake, yelping, "Angel, no!"

Angel watched as he frantically gazed around the room. Jagged breathing rocked his body back and forth violently. Perspiration caused his red hair to cling to his forehead. It took him a while for his mind to finally register that he was awake, Angel noticed.

"Baby, are you okay?" the female asked, though she could clearly see the answer to her question was no.

Horatio didn't respond verbally. Instead, he abruptly seized her in his arms, hugging her tightly. Angel completed the hug, rubbing his back tenderly. She felt him trembling in her arms. He was crying.

"I thought you were gone," the male whimpered. "I had a dream and you were gone…you were…_gone_…"

"Shh, it's okay baby. I'm right here," Angel shushed his cries as she laid him back down on the bed. She pulled sweaty stringy strands of his scarlet hair from his face with one hand and dried his tears with the other. "I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere."

"Promise you'll never leave me?" he said as more tears fell. "Promise me, Angel…"

Angel turned his head to look up at her. Once she gained eye contact, she wiped away the second set of tears and said, "Horatio Rowan Caine, I will _never_, _**ever**_ leave you. I _promise_."

The sincerity in her tone was enough to calm Horatio's nerves a bit. Angel could tell he was still shaken up by his nightmare, though. As an attempt to lull him back to sleep, she held him in her arms and started to sing the same song she sang to him on their wedding day.

"_Timeless, don't let it end, no… Now that you're right here in my arms where you should stay… Hold tight, baby… Timeless, don't let it fade out of sight. Just let the moment sweep us both away… Lifting us to where we both agree… This is timeless love…_"

By the time she finished the song, she saw that he was asleep again. His pained expression had melted away and he appeared much more peaceful now. Angel leaned down to kiss her husband on the cheek and whispered in his ear, "I love you, Horatio. I love you so much."

* * *

_**Sunday, September 11, 2005**_

Horatio woke up the next morning to see his wife still sleeping beside him. He only recalled parts of the night before, but the one thing he remembered clearly was that he had a terrifying nightmare and Angel comforted him. He was hoping that Angel would never find out about his bad dreams, but the previous night quickly dashed those hopes. He didn't want Angel to worry about him, though, and he quickly tried to think of an explanation to tell her before she woke up. To dismay, Angel stirred before he came up with anything.

"Mm, good morning, baby," said Angel cheerfully.

"Uh, g-good morning, love," Horatio stammered. "Uh…about last night…"

"Oh, don't worry about it, baby. You just had a bad dream. I understand," the female said with a smile. "It happens to all of us."

She leaned over to give him a peck on the cheek, causing Horatio to smile with her.

"I'm starving," Angel continued. "I've been eating hospital food for two weeks. I need a real breakfast."

"Okay, how about I make you breakfast? Say…pancakes, bacon, and eggs?"

"…Throw in some sausage links and we've got a deal," Angel said with a smirk.

"Okay. Sausage links too." Horatio chuckled. "Looks like I've got some work to do."

Angel giggled. "I'll gladly help you. I miss cooking, to be honest."

The redhead nodded and leaned over to kiss his wife, murmuring, "Let's get going, then."

Just as the two were getting out of bed, the couple heard crying from the baby monitor.

"I'll go check on them," Angel said. "I'll meet you in the kitchen."

Horatio appeared skeptic. "Are you sure, love? I can go check on them instead."

"Babe, you've been caring for them for the past month and a half by yourself. I think I can handle checking on them now," Angel replied as she pulled on her favorite silky lavender robe.

"Are you positive?"

"Yes, babe, I'm positive. Besides, they've barely seen me for the past two weeks. I need to spend some time with them again."

The male still didn't seem convinced. "…You know… Maybe I should come with you."

Angel frowned, becoming irritated. "Do you not trust me with them or something?"

"Of course I trust you, love," Horatio said.

"Then why do you keep asking me if I'm sure I want to check on them or not?"

The redhead threw his hands up in innocence and said, "I'm sorry, love. I just didn't want you to stress yourself."

"The only person stressing me out is you," Angel mumbled to herself, not intending Horatio to hear her.

To her dismay, he _did_ hear her. Horatio dropped his gaze to the floor, saying nothing. Angel caught on to his hurt expression and said, "I'm sorry, baby. I didn't mean that."

"It's fine. I, uh…I'll go start breakfast. You go check on the twins."

And with that, Horatio promptly left for the kitchen. Angel sighed as she went to the nursery to see what the babies wanted.

Sera had a dirty diaper, so Angel prepared to change her. After a few minutes of struggling, the mother closed the clean diaper and threw the soiled one in the trash can. Gabriel settled down once Sera stopped crying. Angel gave a relieved sigh, feeling somewhat proud that she could handle caring for the children by herself.

"You two wanna come and get some breakfast with Mommy and Daddy?" Angel said to her children as she took them into her arms. She carried them into the dining area and sat them in their high chairs. She then glanced into the kitchen, where she saw Horatio leaning against the counter. His gaze was directed at the floor, and he looked rather upset, she noticed.

"Hey baby, are you okay?" Angel asked. She figured the answer was no, especially after she saw him jolt in alarm when he heard her voice.

"I'm fine," Horatio replied automatically. "Uh…the only sausage links we have are turkey. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, that's fine," Angel replied.

Horatio nodded and went to the fridge. Angel came up behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist resting her head on his shoulder.

"You're not upset with me for saying what I said, are you?" Angel asked softly. "Because I really didn't mean that."

Horatio shook his head. "It's fine, sweetheart. I'm not upset."

Angel couldn't tell whether he was being truthful or not. She nudged her head against his, causing him to look back at her.

"I'm fine, love," the male said, smiling slightly to make his words more convincing.

"Okay. I love you," replied Angel, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

Horatio's grin broadened. "I love you too, sweetheart."

Horatio got the rest of the ingredients out of the refrigerator and brought them over to the counter with help from Angel. As they were cooking, Horatio said, "Love, what do you think about going to the park today?"

"That sounds like a good idea," the female responded. "We could go right after breakfast."

The redhead nodded in agreement to the plan. The couple finished cooking breakfast for themselves. Once they were done, Angel prepared bottles for the babies and Horatio brought his and Angel's plate to the table. He started eating while Angel fed the twins.

"Do you think the twins are too young to play?" Angel asked her husband. "They're only two months old so they can't do too much yet."

"We can push them in the swings," replied Horatio. "I don't think they can do much more than that, but I'm sure they'll enjoy themselves."

After Angel finished feeding and burping the twins, she started to eat her own breakfast. However, the woman soon became too preoccupied with playing peek-a-boo with the twins to keep eating.

"Where's Mommy?" Angel said as she hid her face behind her hands. She uncovered her face and said, "Here she is!"

The twins giggled and clapped at their mother. Horatio chuckled at the sight of his wife playing with their children. He watched in amusement as the female alternated taking a bite of her breakfast and playing peek-a-boo with the twins. When she finally finished eating, she took her and Horatio's dishes to the sink.

"I'm gonna go take a shower and get ready, baby," she said.

"Okay love. I'll go get the twins ready."

Angel went to take her shower while Horatio bathed the twins. He dressed them in matching green onesies that read, "_If you think I'm cute, you should see my twin!_" The father chuckled as he remembered Angel picked out those outfits for the twins. After setting the twins back in their room and covering them with their baby blankets so they wouldn't get too cold, Horatio started towards master bedroom.

"Love the babies are ready," Horatio began as he entered the room. "All I need to do is…"

The male trailed off when he saw his wife's bare rear end wriggling before him. She was bent over reaching through the dresser drawers for a pair of panties. Horatio unconsciously let his head loll to the side as he studied his wife's bare body.

Upon observing the sudden silence, Angel stood up and turned around, looking him in the eyes. "All you need to do is…what?"

Horatio almost didn't answer. He slowly moved his gaze northward over her unclothed body and finally gained eye contact. "Huh?"

Angel smiled a little. "You were saying something."

"I was? Uh…I mean, yeah. I was. I was…uh, I uh…" Horatio's words soon turned to gibberish and he chuckled nervously as his face flushed red. The reason why, exactly, he was so nervous was unknown to the lieutenant.

Angel giggled as she strolled up to him. "You're so cute when you're flustered," she murmured.

The woman wrapped her arms around him and leaned in to kiss her husband's lips. Horatio found himself grow even more nervous as she moved her lips down his neck. The reason why he was so anxious became more apparent to him as he recalled that the last time he held her like this was the night she had overdosed. When she started to pull his t-shirt off, the male gently pushed her away.

"Love, no," he said. "I…don't think this is a good idea right now."

Angel frowned a little. "Why, what's wrong?"

"I…I-I don't think we should do this so soon after you've left the hospital."

"Baby, I'm fine. I was released from Grace Memorial last week."

"I know…but I don't want to hurt you."

"You won't hurt me, baby. I'm fine, see?" She gave a broad grin for added emphasis.

Horatio only sighed, looking away from her and to the floor.

Angel dropped her hand to his, swinging it back and forth. "C'mon, baby. You're not going to hurt me."

H shook his head at the floor tiles. "I can't, love. I can't take any chances."

"Please?" Angel lifted his head to face him and gave a pouty lip. "_Pretty_ please?"

"No, love…I can't."

Angel sighed. She dropped her hand to the bulge in his pants and said, "At least let me help you get rid of this."

"Angel…" Horatio grunted as she tugged off his pants, kneeled down in front of him, and took him into her mouth.

_Somehow I think I just lost this argument…_ Horatio thought to himself.

* * *

A few hours later, The Caine family was finally on their way to the park. They decided to turn their idea into a picnic lunch seeing as it was already lunch time. Angel offered to drive, leaving Horatio in the passenger seat. As she drove, the redhead allowed himself to reminiscence on the last time they went to the park. It was several months back when Angel was still pregnant with the twins…

_Horatio and Angel strolled down the pathway of Melrose Park hand in hand with each other. Though it was late evening, the sun had yet to fully set since it was nearing the summer solstice. The couple passed the playground, which was deserted since it was past dinnertime and the children had gone home for the night. Angel slowed to a stop, causing Horatio to stop too._

"_What is it, love?" he asked._

"_Let's go play," Angel said with a grin._

_A puzzled frown wrinkled the redhead's brow. "Play…as in play on the playground? Like children?"_

"_Yeah. C'mon, it'll be fun."_

_Horatio shook his head. _

_Angel pouted. "Please? It's not like anyone will see us. There's no one here—just a few people walking dogs. I doubt anyone will even notice us."_

_The Caine male was still skeptic. "I dunno, Angel…"_

_Despite her husband's skeptic tone, the female had already started dragging him towards the playground. "Trust me, baby. This is gonna be fun."_

_Angel sat in the swing and looked up at Horatio, waiting for him to sit in the swing next to her. The lieutenant took the hint and sat in the swing beside her. Angel started swinging back and forth. Reluctantly, Horatio began swinging too._

"_Oh c'mon, that's the best you can do?" Angel taunted as she swung higher. "You can't go any higher than that?"_

_Horatio chuckled. He found himself slowly loosening up and tried to swing higher than his wife. Once he did, he said, "Ha! I beat you!"_

_Angel giggled. "On three, let's jump. One…"_

_The redhead appeared skeptic again. "What?"_

"_Two…"_

"_Love, I don't know about this…"_

"_Three!"_

_Angel jumped in mid-swing and stuck her landing in a way that reminded Horatio of an Olympic gymnast. Horatio jumped off too, yet his landing wasn't quite as graceful as his wife's. He stumbled forwards a few steps until Angel brought her arms around him to steady him. She tried to hold in her laughter—an attempt that went terribly unsuccessful. _

"_You okay, baby?" she managed to say between stifled snickers._

_The male couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah. And you were right…that __**was**__ fun."_

_Angel beamed. "Told you so. C'mon, let's go on the slide. I'll race you. Ready…set…"_

_Angel took off before saying "go," quickly leaving Horatio behind. The redhead bolted after her, quickly catching up and sweeping her into his arms before she could climb the ladder for the slide._

"_That wasn't fair!" Horatio cried. "You never said 'go.' That's cheating."_

"_My race, my rules. Haven't you ever heard of ladies first?"_

_Horatio promptly tickled his wife in his arms. Angel giggled and frantically squirmed to stop him, but to no avail. He quickly pulled her arms behind her, subduing her and tickling her more. He then inched towards the slide and climbed the ladder. Now out of breath, Angel slowly came behind her husband and slid down after him._

_Horatio smiled back at the female. "You okay, love?"_

_Angel smiled too. "I'm fine. Are you having fun?"_

_H nodded. "Yeah, I am. You're the only one who could ever convince me to do this."_

_The female giggled. "Now I feel special."_

_Horatio closed his eyes as he felt her lean in to kiss her. He enjoyed her gentle embrace and lifted his hand to cradle her head. After they broke the kiss, Horatio said, "I love you, sweetheart."_

_Angel grinned. "I love you too, baby."_

"Horatio?" Angel called from the driver's seat of the Cadillac, bringing Horatio out of his reminiscence. "What are you thinking about?"

Horatio smiled. "Just thinking about how happy I am to have you."

Angel grinned with him. "I'm happy to have you too, babe. Oh and…we're here."

The Caines got out of the car, unbuckling the twins' car seats and grabbing their things with them. Horatio made his way across the park while holding the twins in their carriers in each hand and the baby bag slung over his shoulder. Angel was close behind with the picnic basket and blanket. The Caine man found a shady spot by a tree and helped his wife lay down the blanket for them. He took both babies out of their carriers and laid them both in his lap. Angel eased down onto the blanket, groaning in apparent pain as she lay down on her back.

"Love, are you okay?" he asked, a frown wrinkling his brow.

"I'll be fine," Angel near moaned. She gestured to her lower abdomen. "Just everything around here hurts."

The male suddenly appeared incredibly troubled. "Did I hurt you earlier? I knew I shouldn't have done anything so soon after you—"

"Baby, relax. I'm fine; I just need some Midol or Pamprin or something. That time of the month must be coming, 'cause I'm cramping."

Horatio sighed, almost in relief. "Oh," was all he said.

A small frown crept into Angel's features as she realized how quick he was to blame to blame himself for her pain. She knew well enough that he wasn't exactly acting like himself lately. She thought of his nightmare the night before and of his recent hospitalization for an apparent panic attack. Of course she knew that watching a loved one nearly die had to be traumatizing. She knew that well enough by the many times she'd saved her brother Andrés, Jr. from his suicide attempts. It was then that she wondered how Horatio was doing emotionally.

Silence fell over the Caines until Gabriel babbled something in baby gibberish. Seraphina joined in with her brother, causing the parents to laugh in unison.

Angel leaned over to bring Sera into her arms. "What are you talking about, baby girl? Are you going to talk to Mommy?"

Gabriel squirmed around in Horatio's lap, apparently trying to get to his mother too. Horatio picked up his son and lay down beside Angel. The two parents played with their children for a while. Gabriel surprised his mother and father by rolling over by himself. For a two-month-old, he seemed very active.

Horatio watched his wife continue to play with the twins. She seemed so happy now. And seeing her so happy put a smile on his face. The male continued to play with his children and his wife, enjoying each and every moment with his family.


	30. 29: Not Okay

Author's Note: As I'm looking over my notes of what I want to happen next, I realize that there is going to be a third story in this series. There are still some things that I want to happen that won't fit in this story. Once we get to the end of this story, I'll let you all know the name of the third story.

I hope you all enjoy this chapter! Please don't hesitate to review!

* * *

Chapter 29: Not Okay

* * *

_**Thursday, September 15, 2005**_

Horatio rolled out of bed late that Thursday morning to see a fully-dressed Angel in the bathroom, applying her makeup. She smiled when she saw her husband's reflection appear in the mirror.

"G'morning, sleepyhead," she said cheerfully. "I was just wondering if I had to wake you up before I left."

Horatio frowned. "Leave? Where are you going?"

"Out with Calleigh. Remember? She called Monday night and asked if I was up to going to lunch and a fitting for bridesmaid dresses. She made reservations and scheduled an appointment and everything."

"I must've forgotten. Okay, let me shower, get dressed, and—"

Angel brought up a hand to stop him. "Whoa, whoa. You're not coming. Calleigh only said it was for her bridesmaids."

The male appeared hurt, as if this wasn't part of the plan at all. "I can't come with you?"

Angel shook her head. "No, baby. It's supposed to be a girl thing."

Horatio seemed quite panicked now. "But love…can't I just come anyhow? I don't want you to go out by yourself so soon."

"I'm not going out by myself. I'll be with Calleigh and her other bridesmaid, Natasha. Besides, if you came you would have to bring the twins with you. That wouldn't work because we're supposed to be out shopping for a while, and then they'd get restless…"

"We could bring them over to Chris's place and I could just tag along with you and the girls," Horatio verbally planned.

Angel huffed a sigh. "Horatio…"

"Please, love? Just let me come."

"Baby, no…I want to go out and spend time with Calleigh by myself."

Horatio wouldn't let up. He folded his hands, getting down on his knees and begged. "Please, love? Just let me come…please?"

Angel frowned as she noticed her husband's voice cracked. "Are you about to cry?"

"No…" Horatio said, though his squeaky tone suggested otherwise. He cleared his throat and said, "No. I just…uh. You know what? Never mind. I guess I'm being silly. You go out and enjoy your time with Calleigh and Natasha."

Angel stood idle in confusion as the male stood up and wandered out the master bedroom and down the hallway.

* * *

Calleigh Duquesne checked her watch for the umpteenth time. She took the day off to put the finishing touches on her wedding. Her bridesmaids were to meet her at Pearl Restaurant and Lounge for lunch at noon. They had a dress fitting a little over two hours after that at 2:15. Calleigh set it this way so she could figure out what style dresses her bridesmaids wanted while still having some time left over to bond with two of her closest female friends. Her plan was off schedule, however, seeing as neither Natasha nor Angel had shown and it was nearly twelve-fifteen.

Finally, Angel showed up. She rushed towards the blonde female, apologizing as she came within hearing range.

"I am _so_ sorry I'm late, Cal," Angel said. "I practically had to beg Horatio not to come with me. He didn't want me to leave without him."

"It's fine," Calleigh responded. "How are you feeling?"

"Good. I'm starting to get worried about Horatio, though."

Calleigh frowned. "Why, what's wrong with Horatio?"

Angel was about to respond, but she was distracted when she saw a woman approaching them. The Caine woman's jaw dropped when she realized how much this woman looked like Angel herself. Apparently this woman noticed the resemblance too, and she appeared startled when she saw Angel.

Calleigh smiled at the two and began introductions. "Angel, this is Natasha, Tim's girlfriend. Tasha…this is Angel, Horatio's wife."

"Whoa," Angel whispered. Aside from being a bit shorter than her and a tad thinner, she realized Natasha could pass as her mirror image. "You're not related to Lynette Dobson-Lopez, are you?"

Natasha shook her head slowly. "No, I'm not."

An awkward silence consumed the three women as Natasha sat down at the table. A waitress came by to give the three women their menus.

After they decided on their orders, Natasha broke the stillness and spoke to Angel; "Have you ever been to Crescent City, California?"

"No…I was born and raised down in San Diego. The farthest north I ever went was Los Angeles."

Natasha nodded, now realizing why Eric kept asking her about San Diego.

Another silence fell over the three briefly. Calleigh cleared her throat and changed the subject, "About the dresses…I was thinking since you two both said it was okay to pay for your own dresses, I figured you two could decide on the style. The only thing I ask is that the dresses be a chocolate brown color."

The two African-American women nodded in unison.

The waitress came back to take the trio's orders. Once she was gone again, Calleigh continued speaking.

"And since we're on the subject of dresses…we probably should have something in mind before our appointment. Let's start with the length…what do you two prefer?"

"I love long dresses. Preferably floor-length," Natasha said. She looked to Angel. "What about you?"

"I usually don't wear anything longer than knee-length," replied Angel. "I like showing my legs."

"Okay…what about the neckline?" Calleigh tried to keep her two bridesmaids talking. "Scoop-neck? V-neck?"

"V-neck," Angel said.

"Scoop-neck," Natasha said at the same time.

_That's 0-for-2…_ Calleigh thought silently. _If these two don't agree on anything, I don't know how they're going to decide on the same dress._

Aloud, the blonde said, "Maybe you two can compromise. Since you like long dresses, Tasha, and Angel likes showing her legs…maybe you could get a long dress with a side slit? As for the neckline…let's try something completely different. Like…sweetheart."

Angel looked over to Natasha. "Does that work for you?"

Natasha shrugged. "Yeah, that could work. I guess I don't mind stepping outside my box a little bit."

Calleigh smiled at the two women. "Well it's settled then. Now we need to think about the accessories…"

"I've _got to_ have my heels," Angel piped up.

"I usually don't wear heels, but since it's a special occasion…I'll get some," Natasha replied.

"Did you get your wedding dress yet, Cal?" Angel asked.

"Yes, I did. It's a long mermaid gown with a hint of lace. I wanted to break away from tradition, so I got a cream colored dress instead of white…but my mom's gonna kill me when she finds out."

"Did you get your shoes yet?"

"No, I haven't."

Angel grinned. "We have to go find you some heels to match that dress then, Cal."

"Just as long as they're not too tall. I can't walk in anything taller than five inches."

"Well you have about three weeks until your wedding. I could teach you how to walk in some six-inch heels by then."

The blonde looked skeptic. "I dunno Angel…"

"Oh c'mon, Cal," Natasha jumped in. "If I have to step outside my own box, you have to step outside yours, too."

Calleigh couldn't help but smile. "Fine. If you two are going to gang up on me…I guess it wouldn't hurt to try some taller heels this time." She paused. "Looks like we've got a full day of shopping ahead of us. I guess as soon as we leave here we can head over to the bridal shop for our appointment. Then after that we can look around for the accessories."

The other two women nodded.

"Sounds like a plan," Angel said.

* * *

Angel pulled up to the condo around seven that evening. She was so caught up in shopping that she forgot to call Horatio and let him know she would be home late. By the time she thought of calling him, she discovered that her cell phone was dead. She hadn't brought her car charger either, which made for some complications when her car wouldn't start when she was leaving downtown about an hour ago. She was grateful that a generous passerby stopped with jumper cables and got her car up and running again. As she strolled up the pathway and opened the front door, she hoped that Horatio hadn't worried about her too much, especially since she was back a couple hours later than she told him she would be.

Those hopes were dashed when she came in the door and saw Horatio sitting on the couch staring down at the floor with a worried expression on her face. His cell phone was in his hand. The female sighed uneasily and said, "Hi baby, I'm home."

Horatio looked up at his wife and crossed the room in a few lengthy strides to take her in his arms. "Where were you? I was so worried…you said you would be home earlier than this."

"I know, baby, I'm sorry. We spent a long time trying to coordinate the outfits for the wedding. By the time I thought of calling you, I realized my phone died. And I left my car charger in your car."

The redhead sighed. "I'm just glad you're okay."

"I'm fine, sweetie. My car wouldn't start for a little while…but someone helped me out."

Horatio appeared worried all over again. "Your car didn't start? Why didn't you call me?"

Angel frowned. Despite her confusion on why he asked such an obvious question, she answered it anyway. "…Because my phone died. Remember? I just said that."

The male gave himself a mental slap for asking that question. "Right. Sorry…"

Angel watched her husband walk back over to the couch. Worry mixed with her bewilderment as she remembered how strange he'd been acting lately. The near-nervous-breakdown he had that morning when she said she was going out without him didn't do him justice, either.

"Baby, are you feeling okay?" she asked.

The redhead nodded, smiling to make his lie more convincing. "I'm fine, love."

Angel heard her husband, but she could see right through his phony smile and false words. She came over to him, sitting on the arm of the couch next to him. She massaged his shoulders as an attempt to ease some of his tension. She leaned down to plant a kiss on his cheek and whispered in his ear, "You need to relax, baby."

Horatio's feigned smile weakened slightly. The fact that he was merely pretending to be okay became more apparent as his gaze grew distant. What was he thinking about? Angel wasn't sure, but she sensed it had something to do with her. Angel knew her husband always had a hard time talking about his problems to anyone—including her. Over the past year-and-a-half of being with him, she managed to think up some ways to make it a little easier for him to open up to her. She knew him well enough that when he was relaxed, he managed to open up more. She couldn't count how many times he'd came home from solving a tough case and refused to talk about what was bothering him. She would always offer to give him a massage to ease his tension, and he would eventually open up to her when she did.

"When was the last time I gave you a massage, baby?" Angel asked aloud.

Horatio gave a little shrug. "I don't know…it's been a few months."

"A few months," Angel repeated. "That means you're long overdue for another one."

She took him by the hands, gently pulling him up and leading him to the bedroom. Horatio sat down on the bed once they were there. He looked up to Angel, who had folded her arms and appeared to be waiting for something.

"You know my policy," she said with a playful smile. "Shirt. Off. _Now._"

Horatio chuckled and pulled off his shirt. He wasn't sure how he'd forgotten that Angel refused to give him a massage when he was wearing a shirt. At first he believed her claims that the massage would feel better without his shirt on. As he got to know her better, though, he realized that her _policy_ might have more to do with the fact that she liked seeing him shirtless.

The redhead lay down on his stomach and closed his eyes. The couple fell silent as Angel massaged Horatio's back. After a few moments, Horatio seemed more relaxed. And just as Angel predicted, Horatio spoke up.

"Love can I ask you a question?" he asked as he sat upright. "And I want you to be completely honest with me."

Angel nodded. "Of course, baby. What is it?"

"Do you…" his voice fell slightly as he appeared to hesitate vocalizing his question. He sighed deeply and continued; "Do…you think I'm a good husband?"

"Of course I do," Angel answered immediately.

"…You didn't even hesitate," Horatio murmured.

"That's because I have no reason to," the female responded truthfully. "You're a wonderful husband."

"Even though I accused you of cheating on me…and I kept a lot of things from you…and…"

"Baby, none of that even matters," Angel cut him off. "Sure you've made some mistakes. But I've made some too. Some…_far _worse than yours. But you still think I'm a good wife, right?"

"Of course I do."

Angel paused as she noticed his gaze drifted from her eyes and away to the floor. She gently lifted his head to face her again.

"What do I have to do to prove it to you?" Angel asked softly.

Horatio didn't answer. As Angel looked over at him, she clearly saw the tears welling in his eyes. It was then that three weeks of concealing his emotions ceased, and Horatio finally broke down.

"I don't know what's wrong with me, Angel," the male whimpered as tears began to fall. "I thought I was a strong person. But when I thought I was going to lose you…I…"

His voice fell in mid-sentence and sobs attacked his body in a near-convulsive manner. Angel's heart dropped upon seeing her husband so upset. She tried to maintain her own composure and pulled him into her arms. Stroking his strawberry-blonde mane gently, she whispered, "Shh. I know. It's okay, baby. It'll be okay."

"I don't know what I would do without you, Angel," Horatio cried, grasping onto the fabric of her dress as if his life depended on it. "I could never go on without you…"

"And you won't have to," Angel said. "I'm still here. I'll always be here for you, Horatio. _Always._"


	31. 30: Help Me Help You

Chapter 30: Help Me Help You

* * *

_**Friday, September 16, 2005**_

The next morning, Angel woke up early and started breakfast. Horatio joined his wife in the kitchen once he woke up. He came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her and giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"Good morning, love," he said.

"Morning, baby," Angel replied, leaning back to give him a peck on the lips. As she turned back to the pan of eggs in front of her, she said, "I have a therapy appointment this afternoon. And…I want you to come with me."

Horatio appeared startled. "You want me to come with you? Why?"

"Well…I know you've been going through a tough time too. I figured it wouldn't hurt if you came with me. It might help you feel a bit better, too."

Though the redhead was still skeptic, he did realize what his wife was saying was true. It definitely wouldn't hurt if he came. In fact, it might help the both of them. "Fine… But what about the twins?"

"We can bring them with us. It's only a forty-five minute session, and it's set around the same time as their naptime. Plus, I kind of want Maryanne to meet my entire family."

"Okay. What time is your appointment?"

"Three o'clock."

Horatio nodded slightly in response.

"I was thinking we could go out to lunch right before the appointment," Angel said. "I was thinking Chinese…what do you think?"

"Chinese sounds good," Horatio replied. "Have you fed the babies yet?"

"No, not yet babe. Last I checked on them, they were still asleep."

"I'll go check on them then," the redhead said. He gave his wife another kiss on the cheek before heading down the hallway.

When he got to the nursery, Horatio saw that both babies were wide awake. Gabriel was playing with his feet as he always did, and Seraphina was silently looking around the room. She smiled when she caught a glimpse of her father.

"Good morning princess," Horatio said with a smile as he picked up Seraphina. He picked up Gabriel with the other. "Morning, buddy. You two ready for your baba? C'mon, let's go in the kitchen with Mommy."

Horatio brought the twins into the kitchen. Gabriel whined and reached for his mother when he saw her.

"What's wrong, Vari?" Angel asked as she took the baby boy in one of her arms. Gabriel settled down and smiled once he was in his mother's arm. He grabbed hold to a lock of her hair, smiling and playing with it as she continued to cook.

"Told you he's a momma's boy," Horatio jested.

Angel pursed her lips. "There's nothing wrong with being a momma's boy. Right, Gabriel? Tell Daddy there's nothing wrong with being a momma's boy."

Gabriel fussed at his father in baby-gibberish as if he knew exactly what his mother was talking about. Horatio chuckled, shaking his head.

"Whose side are you on, buddy?" he asked the little boy. He scoffed playfully. "And to think I was going to teach you how to play catch once you're old enough to hold the ball by yourself."

"Don't listen to him, Vari," Angel intervened. "He's still going to teach you how to play catch. He's too in love with you to do anything otherwise."

The man smiled as he leaned over to kiss Gabriel's forehead. "Just kidding, buddy. Daddy still loves you…even if you _are_ a momma's boy."

* * *

Later that morning at the crime lab, Speedle found he was in desperate need of a break, despite having started working less than a couple hours before. It was the first week that he, Eric, and Calleigh had been working with the temporary replacements, who were a trio of recently trained college grads. The elder CSIs found they had trouble working with the younger group, especially since they seemed to have a know-it-all mentality.

Tim looked to Calleigh, who seemed to handle these younger CSIs far better than Speed himself could. He silently wondered how he would manage without her or Eric there, especially since he was supposed to be in charge for the few days of the Delkos' honeymoon.

As time crept on and they were finally at a stopping point, the CSIs went their separate ways for their lunch breaks. Calleigh, Eric, and Speedle congregated in the break room while the temporary CSIs went outside.

"Can you believe how stubborn those kids are?" Tim complained. "Every time you try to tell them to do somethin', they want to argue about how they think they can do it better."

"'Kids,' huh?" Delko said. "Y'know they're only a few years younger than me."

"Yeah, well you're nothing like _them_," Speed argued. "At least you listen to what other people have to say. They don't listen to anything we have to say."

"They're stubborn, I'll admit," Calleigh jumped in. "But give them a little break. They're only trying to do their jobs."

Speed sighed discontentedly. "I dunno how I'm gonna manage those brats when you and Eric are gone."

"It's only going to be a week," the blonde reassured her coworker with a smile. "Try not to call them brats and I'm sure things will be fine."

Tim still wasn't convinced, but he left the subject alone for the time being. Instead, he changed the subject to the Delkos' upcoming wedding.

"You guys almost done planning your big day? October 1st, right?" Speed asked.

"Yep, October 1st," Calleigh answered with a nod. "We're nearly done with everything. All we have to do now is the rehearsal dinner next week. And we have to finish packing for Disney World."

"I bet Sabrina's really excited about all this, huh?"

"Yeah, you bet," Delko piped up. He chuckled, "The moment we told her, she wanted to pack her things and go right then."

Calleigh laughed at the memory, "She had her suitcase all ready and sitting by the door… She had a fit when we told her we weren't going that night, too. It took forever for her to understand that we would leave in October not that night."

Speedle laughed along with his coworkers. "That sounds cute. If I ever had a kid, I'd want him or her to be just like yours."

Delko smirked at the white male. "Speedle's considering having kids? You went soft on me, Tim, what happened?"

"Hey…I said _if_. And that's a really big _if,_ too."

Calleigh smiled. "Hey…never say never."

* * *

That afternoon, the Caines were waiting for Maryanne to call them back for their appointment. As he waited, Horatio gazed down at his sleeping twins lying in their separate carriers by his feet. Watching them was rather comforting; the two children appeared so peaceful as they slept. He then lifted his gaze to his wife, who in contrast, didn't appear peaceful at all. She seemed rather upset.

"What's wrong, love?" Horatio asked.

"I'm still a little upset about my car not working," Angel said softly. "I can't believe that it wouldn't start _again_."

Horatio had almost forgotten that Angel's wouldn't start earlier that day when they were leaving the condo. She seemed completely devastated that her car wasn't working properly. To Horatio, it seemed inevitable; her car was over a decade old, and it was bound to break down eventually. Nevertheless, it was still _her_ car, and Horatio could tell she wouldn't give up her little sedan that easily.

"I'll take a look at it, love. If I can't fix it myself, we'll decide what we want to do from there." He paused before saying, "It might be time for you to trade in your car for a new one."

Angel didn't appear at all pleased with this piece of information. "I can't give up my car, Horatio… it's my baby. _And_ it's the very first thing I managed to buy all by myself."

"It's also almost fifteen years old, love," Horatio said. "Besides…it's really small and the twins will outgrow it soon."

Angel wanted to argue, but before she could say anything else, she saw Maryanne appear before her.

"Angel and Horatio?" the elder woman called.

Angel smiled and stood to follow Maryanne into her room. Horatio picked up the twins in their carriers and came close behind.

"Wow, you've sure been busy since I've last seen you," Maryanne said to Angel once the Caines were all in the session room. "I knew you were pregnant, but…twins?"

"Yeah," Angel said with a little laugh. "We found that out right after the honeymoon was over. The girl's name is Seraphina Annabelle, and the boy's name is Gabriel Javari."

"Those are some beautiful names," Maryanne replied with a grin. "So I heard you had some problems since the babies were born."

"Yeah…yeah I have. Well…_had_," Angel said. "My brother wrote me a prescription for a mood stabilizer…but I didn't take it. Instead…I overdosed on it. I was just so upset because I was having a hard time with the twins and I couldn't seem to do anything right."

"Do you want to tell me some of the problems you were having with them?"

"I didn't know how to quiet them down a lot. Then I started getting these really bad thoughts about hurting them…and I even heard some voices telling me how to do it."

"That had to be really scary for you, Angel," Maryanne said. She looked to Horatio. "Horatio? How have you been feeling about all of this?"

The redheaded man appeared startled when he was asked a question. Despite his alarm, he answered the question anyway.

"Well…I was upset, naturally. I love Angel, and I hate to see her upset."

"Have you felt guilty? Like maybe it was your fault this happened to her?"

Horatio sighed uneasily. "Well…yes. Angel and I have had some marriage troubles earlier on this year. I couldn't help but think that had something to do with what was happening."

"You _do_ realize that the two things are most likely completely unrelated, right?"

The lieutenant looked to the floor. "I realize that's a possibility. That doesn't stop me from thinking it, though."

"How have your moods been since all of this started?"

Horatio apparently didn't want to answer that question—not honestly anyway. Despite his inner turmoil, Horatio told the truth; "Not that great, honestly. The Monday after she overdosed, I went to work and ended up having an anxiety attack. It landed me on administrative leave for eight weeks."

Maryanne nodded silently.

Silence fell over the room. Angel looked over to her husband. She slipped her hand in his, caressing it with her thumb. Horatio managed to smile at her tender gesture.

"I think I see what the problem is with you two," Maryanne finally spoke, breaking the stillness of the room. "'Scuse my French, but both of you are too goddamned stubborn."

Angel and Horatio looked up at the therapist, frowning in unison. "What?" they both said, rather confused at the white woman's harsh comment.

"Well, think about it. Angel, you refused treatment for your postpartum psychosis and you wouldn't let Horatio help you. And Horatio, you're so preoccupied with trying to be strong for Angel that you're forgetting that you're not invincible and you need help sometimes too."

The Caine couple glanced back at each other silently.

After a moment, Angel managed to crack a small smile. "You realize she kind of has a point…"

Horatio matched his wife's smile. "Yes…she does."

"You two need to help each other. More importantly, you two need to _let_ each other help each other," Maryanne jumped back in. "It's simple. Angel, you let Horatio help you. And Horatio, you let Angel help you."

"…Why does something so simple sound so complicated?" Horatio wondered aloud.

Maryanne smiled. "It's much simpler than you think. You just need to spend more time with each other. Horatio, I know your job must be demanding sometimes. And Angel, I know you're going to be juggling school and home life with the twins soon. But you still need to set aside some time for each other, just the two of you. When the twins are napping, spend time doing things that the both of you like to do. Enjoy each other's company. And if you're feeling upset about something, talk about it with your spouse. Even if you _aren't_ feeling upset about something, just talk to each other. Communicate."

"Y'know…you still need to teach me to play the piano," Angel said to Horatio.

"That I do, love. I actually have a keyboard in storage…if I can find it, maybe we can start today," replied the Caine man.

"See? I told you it was simple," Maryanne said. "I think that's all the time we have for today. By the next time I see you both, I expect you two to have talked about at least _some_ of your problems to each other."

"Thanks, Maryanne," The Caines chorused as they stood to leave the room. The two smiled at each other once they had finished paying and were outside in the lobby again.

"I wasn't exactly expecting _that_ to happen when I asked you to come this morning," Angel admitted.

"I wasn't expecting that either," Horatio replied. "But at least we know what we need to do now."

"So…are we going to get your keyboard out of storage?"

Horatio nodded. He leaned over to kiss his wife's cheek and said, "Let's go."

* * *

That evening, Horatio had just finished cleaning the dust off of his old electronic keyboard that he'd found in storage. He brought it into the living room to Angel so he could begin his music lesson. He stopped short when he saw Angel gazing through an old photo album with a huge smile on her face.

"Baby…is this _you_?" she said, giggling as she pointed to a teenage photo of the Caine man.

Horatio frowned. He set the keyboard down on the floor and walked over to her. "Where did you get that?"

"I saw it in storage and grabbed it when you weren't looking… Oh God, Horatio, look at those sideburns!"

Horatio blushed. He reached to take the photo album from her, but Angel moved it out of his reach.

"Love…is it really necessary for you to look at this right now?" he asked, rather embarrassed.

"Oh c'mon, babe; lighten up," Angel responded. She kept snickering as she continued through the photo album. "Oh. My. God. You're wearing bell bottoms! And a glittery shirt!"

The redhead sighed uneasily. "…Yes, love. It _was_ during the seventies, after all."

Angel gasped as she made it to the section of Horatio's college days. "Oh god…you're wearing shorts! Really…_short_-shorts!"

Horatio groaned as he saw the picture. "Love…not the short-shorts. I was hoping no one would see that ever again."

"My goodness, look at your legs! You were so tiny!"

The male only chuckled sheepishly.

Angel stopped on a picture of Horatio and another man who looked similar to him. "Baby…is this you and Raymond?"

Horatio looked over to the picture and nodded. "Yeah. That's my little brother."

"He's really handsome…" Angel said with a smile. "It must run in the family."

Horatio couldn't help but laugh at his wife's comment. "So are we done with this blast from the past now?"

Angel snickered as she planted a kiss on Horatio's cheek. "Not quite. Now that I'm done teasing you, I think it's only fair if I show you some of my pictures from when I was younger."

Horatio smiled as he watched Angel dart away. She came back moments later with a photo album and a yearbook. "Okay most of my pictures are over at my brothers' places, but I still have my yearbook from back in high school, and I have this one photo album from back when I was in middle school."

She sat down next to Horatio and set both items before him. Horatio flipped through the yearbook first. He stopped when he saw Angel's name on the senior superlatives list.

"You won biggest flirt?" Horatio said, chuckling in amusement.

"Yeah…why is that funny?"

"Oh…no reason. I'm just not surprised."

Angel pursed her lips. "Whatever Horatio…"

Horatio snickered as he saw Angel's senior picture. "Look at your hair. It's…_wow_."

Angel frowned. "Oh shit…I forgot about that. Okay maybe we should do something else now."

The male shook his head. "Oh no, love. You had your fun, and now I'm going to have mine. Now tell me…what on earth was going on with your hair?"

"It's called a jheri curl, Horatio," Angel said sheepishly.

"No…Michael Jackson had a jheri curl. You, on the other hand…I don't know _what_ this is."

"I tried to perm it by myself, okay!" Angel defended herself. "It just didn't work out right."

"I can see that," Horatio replied playfully.

Angel folded her arms, not amused.

"Oh c'mon, love; lighten up," H repeated familiar words, causing Angel to smile.

Horatio then moved on to the photo album. He did a double take when he caught a glimpse of what appeared to be a preteen Angel wearing her hair in an afro.

"You had an _afro_?" the redhead said in amazement. "A really _big_ afro, too."

"Yeah…that was back before I started perming my hair. That's what my hair looks like naturally."

"Really?" The redhead said with a smile as he looked through some more pictures. "It looks really nice on you."

"Okay hold on…don't get too attached to the afro, baby. I'm not going natural anymore," Angel said. "I've gotta have my hair straight."

Horatio chuckled as he closed the book. "So, are we still doing our music lesson? I cleaned the keyboard and I have some of my beginner music books with me."

The female nodded. "Yeah. Let's start now."

Horatio went to set the keyboard up on the coffee table and set a music book on the stand. "Okay, first off, do you know how to read music?"

"No," Angel replied with a shake of the head.

"Okay, let's start off with the treble clef first. The lined notes for the treble clef are E-G-B-D-F," Horatio said, playing the note of each corresponding letter on the keyboard.

Angel frowned. "Should I be taking notes?"

"Depends…are you going to remember all of this without taking notes?"

The woman sighed. "I'll be back."

Horatio watched as his wife went down the hallway. As he waited for her to come back, he turned to the keyboard and began to play Beethoven's _Fur Elise_. After he finished playing the song, he realized that Angel still wasn't back.

"Love, does it take that long to find a pad of paper and a pen?" he called.

"I went to change into something more comfortable!" Angel shouted back.

The redhead sighed. Knowing Angel, changing outfits could take at least another ten minutes. He decided to play another Beethoven song while he waited: _Moonlight Sonata_. When he approached the song's end, he heard clacking of heels echo down the hallway.

"Okay, Professor Caine. I'm ready," Angel said.

Horatio looked up to gaze over his wife's supposedly "_more comfortable_" outfit. She wore a white collared blouse that had the first three buttons undone and showed quite a bit of her cleavage, a plaid pleated miniskirt, matching plaid knee socks, and a pair of black Mary-Jane pumps. She grinned at him mischievously as she toyed with her hair, which was pulled into two messy ponytails.

After bringing himself out of his visual analysis, he said, "I'm not teaching you piano tonight, am I?"

"Yes you are," Angel said as she walked across the room. "I'm ready for my lesson, Professor Caine."

Horatio huffed a breath as she slid sideways into his lap once more. Not-so-accidentally, she brushed her rear end against his groin. The male grunted.

"Why are you torturing me like this, love?" he moaned in half-agony, half-pleasure.

Angel turned around and looked her husband in the eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about Professor Caine."

"Love seriously…stop."

"Why, what are you gonna do?" Angel whispered seductively in his ear. "Are you going to make me stay after class? Give me detention?"

When the female turned to nibble on his earlobe, Horatio leaned over to cut off the keyboard. He promptly scooped her into his arms and carried her off to the bedroom, muttering, "Oh you're getting detention alright…"


	32. 31: Always and Forever

A/N: Sorry for the delay. I had a case of writer's block, and since I posted all of my completed chapters, I couldn't post again until I finished this chapter. Hopefully I can write the next few chapters quicker than I have the last few.

I've already started on the third story! (…Even though I'm not quite done with this story yet. I get so ahead of myself sometimes. -_-) I also have some more companion pieces to this series in mind, so be on the lookout for new stories soon!

Okay, on with the story. Note: there's a suggestive scene in the beginning of this chapter.

Please don't hesitate to give me constructive feedback in a review! :)

* * *

Chapter 31: Always and Forever

* * *

**_Friday, September 16, 2005_**

"Oh, Professor Caine…I've never had this assignment before," Angel said. "I hope I get an A…"

"Just pay close attention to your professor," replied Horatio with a devious chuckle. "I'm sure you'll catch on."

The redhead moved swiftly, quickly removing Angel's clothes and underwear. Soon she was left in nothing but her knee socks and heels. Starting at her neck, the male peppered kisses across her body, down her chest and over her stomach. He then slowly worked his way back up to her lips.

"I believe it's time for some extra credit," the male near-growled into her ear.

"Extra credit?" Angel repeated. A mischievous smirk tugged her lips upward as she as she reached up to undress him. She let her hands wander over his bare body, stalling at his crotch. "I think I know what you want me to do."

"Mm. Yes, just like that."

Angel giggled upon seeing the pleased look on her husband's face. "I must be a fast learner."

"You've passed this class, Angel," Horatio grunted in pure delight. "A-plus."

The couple savored each moment together in each other's arms. Their end seemed to approach as quickly as it all began, yet both were still satisfied.

After they were done, Horatio lay back on his back to catch his breath. Angel laid on his chest, waiting for his heartbeat to slow back to its normal pace. She looked up and pulled sweaty stringy strands of Horatio's red mane from his face and smoothed it back into place.

"We need to role-play more often," Horatio finally said.

Angel giggled. "Yeah, we do."

Silence fell over the couple for a long moment. Horatio silently enjoyed the warmth of Angel's bare body atop his own. As he gazed down at her, he noticed that Angel's expression grew contemplative. Upon seeing the pondering look on her face, he asked, "What are you thinking about, love?"

Angel hesitated vocalizing her thought at first. She was thinking about Melissa Holmes, but she hadn't the slightest clue why that woman came to mind. It had been a couple months since Melissa's last check went through, and Angel found herself wondering if—or when—the former wife of Horatio would give them more trouble.

"I was just thinking about…your ex-wife," Angel murmured. "When I last saw her, she was saying all kinds of bad things about you. I know none of it was true, because it sounded nothing like you…but I'm just curious on why you two didn't work out."

Horatio sighed. He realized he hadn't talked to Angel about Melissa much, mainly because the twins took control of their attention once they were born a few short days after the entire incident with his ex-wife transpired.

"There were many reasons why we didn't work out," Horatio admitted. "The main one was that she didn't trust me. She kept accusing me of cheating on her, especially when I had to work late nights. It got to the point that we couldn't talk without arguing."

Angel frowned. "But you would never do that. You're not that kind of person."

"I know that, and you know that. But she didn't know that. She wouldn't trust me at all," Horatio replied and gave a rather uneasy sigh. "Y'know, sometimes I wonder if I did something to deserve to lose her trust. That's why I worked so hard to gain your trust when I met you."

"I really doubt you did something to deserve it, baby," Angel said softly, planting a gentle kiss on his lips. "You two just weren't right for each other." She paused. "You don't think she's going to bother you anymore, do you?"

"I'd love to answer that question with a definite no, but the truth is that I really don't know what she might do next. I _hope_ she decides to leave us alone now that I've paid her last check. Knowing Melissa, though…it may not be that easy."

"Let's just hope for the best," Angel said.

Silence consumed the room once more. Horatio brushed his nose back and forth against his wife's, causing her to giggle.

"I love you, Horatio," Angel said happily.

Horatio grinned too. "I love you too, Angel."

* * *

**_Saturday, September 24, 2005_**

About a week later, Horatio was at home with the twins while Angel was away buying groceries. He'd taken a look at his wife's car earlier, only to find that there were several things wrong with it. After guesstimating the repair costs and predicting future repair costs—since her car was in the shop several months before and Horatio sensed it would need further work done as time went on—the male figured it would be much more cost effective to buy a new car. Horatio knew convincing Angel to give up her little car would be quite the task. Instead of debating the subject with her, he figured he'd browse around for a deal and give the new car to her as an anniversary gift in February. That way he wouldn't have to worry about her car breaking down, and he wouldn't have to argue with her about it, either.

Horatio browsed around on the computer, looking for a child-friendly vehicle. He guessed in several years, they would be busy with activities with the twins: school, sports, music lessons, or any other activities that might interest them. Horatio also knew that Angel planned on going back to school in the spring semester (since fall semester had already begun). He figured an SUV or minivan would fare nicely for their family of four.

The Caine man was just starting to get an idea of what he would get his wife when he was interrupted by his son. The twins were in the room with him, and Gabriel apparently wanted his father to pick him up because he whined and reached for Horatio until he looked down and picked the little boy up.

"What is it buddy?" Horatio asked.

Gabriel reached up to grab some strands of Horatio's hair and tugged on them while Horatio attempted to look at more car models. His attempt went rather unsuccessful, as Gabriel wanted Horatio to focus on him. The baby boy started crying when he noticed Horatio wasn't looking at him. Upon hearing his son's cry, Horatio looked away from the computer and back down to his baby boy. When Gabriel smiled at him, Horatio knew exactly what his son wanted.

"You want Daddy to play with you?" Horatio asked, smiling too. He tickled the little boy, making him squirm and giggle in his arms. Horatio shut down the computer and carried both twins back into their room. Once he was in the twins' room, he laid both babies on a blanket along with some toys for them to play with. He sat down on the blanket with the baby boy and girl and helped them play.

Seraphina played with a teddy bear that Horatio bought her a while ago. Gabriel had fun with a rattle, yet most of his fun came from repeatedly throwing the toy at Horatio. The father gave the rattle back to the little boy, only to have him throw it right back and laugh. Horatio decided to humor his son and keep playing with him, conveniently overlooking the many times he'd been hit with the toy. Gabriel was only a baby, Horatio told himself. He didn't know any better.

"Now this is what I call a Kodak moment," Angel's voice entered the room a few moments later. She came in the room to see Gabriel shaking the rattle happily and Sera hugging her teddy bear. She quickly whipped out her cell phone, snapping a few pictures of her twins and husband.

Right after she took the last picture, Gabriel hurled the rattle at Horatio once more, hitting the father dead in the face. Angel pressed her lips together, attempting to hold her laughter. Her attempt went rather unsuccessful, though, as several giggles escaped.

"You okay, baby?" Angel asked between snickers.

Though he was a tad annoyed, Horatio could still see the humor of the situation and he chuckled slightly. "I'm fine. Gabriel just seems to get a kick out of throwing things at me."

Angel kneeled down before the baby boy. "C'mon Vari, what's with you? Just because you're Mommy's boy, doesn't mean you can beat up on Daddy. You have to be nice to Daddy."

Gabriel rolled over onto his back and reached for his mother to pick him up. Angel scooped the child up into her arms and said, "Give Daddy an apology kiss."

Horatio couldn't help but smile as the little boy kissed his father's cheek.

"It's okay, buddy. I still love you," he said.

Angel smiled at her husband. "I've put up most of the refrigerated groceries already. Can you put up everything else while I get Gabe and Sera ready for their visit at Chris's place this evening?"

Horatio recalled that they were going to drop off the twins at Chris's place while they went to the Delkos' wedding rehearsal and dinner. He glanced over at the clock and realized it would be time to leave soon.

"Sure, love," Horatio replied.

* * *

A few hours later, Angel and Horatio were getting ready for the Delkos' wedding rehearsal dinner. It was to start at six-thirty, and seeing as it was nearly six-twenty and they had to drop the twins off at Chris's place—which was in the opposite direction of Melrose Park's Recreation Center where the dinner was to take place—Horatio knew they would be late.

"Love, are you almost ready?" Horatio called for the umpteenth time.

"Almost babe!" Angel said.

"But Angel, you said that about twenty minutes ago. Are you honestly almost ready?"

"Yes, baby! I just need to finish my makeup!"

"That's a 'no,' then," the redhead murmured to himself. He looked down to the twins who were sitting in their carriers before him. "I think Mommy's idea of 'almost ready' and the actual meaning of 'almost ready' are two wildly different things."

Gabriel was sleeping, but Seraphina was still awake. She smiled at the sound of her father's voice, though she had no clue what he was talking about.

Horatio leaned over to pick Seraphina up. As he cradled the child in his arms, he said, "Princess, you have to promise me you won't be as fickle-minded as Mommy is when you grow up. Especially when it comes to shopping. The last thing we need is another Angel around."

Sera gazed up at her father, sucking her thumb silently.

"And another thing: promise me you won't have expensive taste like Mommy does. And if you do, never ask me for a credit card. If that happens, it'll be the end of me," Horatio jested.

"What'll be the end of you?" Angel asked the man as she entered the room.

"Nothing, love," Horatio replied as he set the girl back in her carrier. "Ready to go?"

Angel nodded. She took Gabriel's carrier while Horatio took Sera's and followed her out the door.

* * *

Later on that evening, the wedding party was going through rehearsals for the wedding right before their dinner. The run-throughs went somewhat smoothly; that is, until it came time for the flower girl to walk down the aisle. Sabrina didn't seem to understand the concept of throwing the flowers bit by bit. Every time it was her turn to go on, she dumped the entire contents of the basket in one place. This process repeated itself several times. By the fifth or sixth try, Calleigh and Eric were beginning to reconsider having their daughter as the flower girl in the ceremony.

After her last failed attempt, Angel pulled her goddaughter aside. She kneeled down so she was eye-level with the little girl.

"Bri, we gotta work on this flower girl thing," Angel said and gathered the flowers that were on the floor nearby. She placed them into the basket before giving it to Sabrina and taking her by the hand to lead her back down the aisle. "Okay, Bri. Watch and do what godmommy does."

Angel took two steps before throwing some flowers. She looked back to make sure Sabrina was still paying attention and took two more steps, followed by throwing flowers. She walked back to the little girl and said, "Okay, now you try."

Sabrina seemed to get a better idea of what she was supposed to do now that she had visual help. Though her last run wasn't flawless, it was better than the last attempts and was good enough for Eric and Calleigh. The entire wedding party applauded Sabrina after she made it to the front, causing the little girl to grin and clap herself.

"Thanks, Angel," Eric said to the Caine woman as she took her place near the front. "I dunno why we didn't think of doing that earlier."

"No problem, Eric," replied Angel. She kneeled down before Sabrina again. "Good job, Bri! Gimme a high-five."

Sabrina smiled and completed the high-five.

After the rest of the run-through was over with, the Delkos figured it was time to end the rehearsals and finally start their dinner. The group went inside the rec center to eat.

The group was rather silent as they began eating. Angel attempted to start conversation as she spoke to Calleigh.

"Hey Cal…have you finished getting the decorations together?" Angel asked.

"Not quite," Calleigh admitted. "I'm a little worried about how I'm going to get everything together by next week."

"I could help," Angel suggested. "I'm sure I could help you finish off the minor details."

Calleigh was considering Angel's offer when she saw Horatio shaking his head fervidly at her while repeatedly mouthing, "_No_. Do **_not_** do that to yourself." She tried to keep a straight face as she spoke to Angel.

"Uh…I think I can handle it," Calleigh finally replied, though her gaze was more focused on Horatio. "Thank you though."

Angel looked to Horatio, who conveniently stopped shaking his head the moment she looked at him. Angel sensed her husband was teasing her and gave him playful—and rather violent—slap on the shoulder as revenge. Horatio winced.

"Ow! What was that for?" he near-whined, feigning innocence.

"You're making fun of me. I know it," Angel retorted.

"I did no such thing," Horatio countered. "I was just making sure Calleigh knew that of all people…you should be the _last_ one she should come to for help with planning things."

"And why is that? Just because I go a little overboard sometimes with planning minor details?"

"'A little overboard…'" Horatio repeated. "That's a…nice way of putting it."

Angel narrowed her eyes at the Caine male. Upon seeing her displeased look, he smiled and gave her a peck on the cheek, saying, "I love you, sweetheart."

"You better be lucky you're cute," she muttered underneath her breath. "You can get away with a lot of stuff that way."

Horatio only chuckled in response.

The dinner continued on, and the adults conversed about the Delkos' upcoming wedding. Angel, however, seemed more interested in trying to teach Sabrina how to play patty-cake. Calleigh couldn't help but smile when she saw the godmother and child playing together.

A couple hours later, a majority of the wedding party had gone home, leaving a select few to help with the cleanup. Natasha and Angel helped Sabrina clear paper cups and plates from the tables and put them in a garbage bag. Horatio and Speedle helped Eric move chairs and tables, while Calleigh wiped down the tables that were already cleared. The group moved quickly, returning the recreation center back to the way it was before the dinner party.

Eric came up to his fiancée once they were done, giving her a peck on the cheek.

"Can you believe that by this time next week, you'll be Mrs. Delko?" Eric said softly with a smile.

Calleigh grinned. "Yeah, it's finally sinking in. We're really getting married."

The couple fell silent for a moment. The only audio was Eric's iPod that was sitting on a table nearby, along with Sabrina humming her baby-gibberish rendition of the song that played. As a new song began to play—_Always and Forever_ by Heatwave—Eric looked to the blonde and said, "Let's dance."

Calleigh was hesitant at first. Eric sensed his fiancée's hesitation and said, "Oh, c'mon, Cal. We've rented the place 'til nine, and it's eight-thirty now. It wouldn't hurt to get our money's worth. Besides we could use the practice for our first dance."

The blonde gave a defeated sigh. "Fine. I guess it couldn't hurt."

Calleigh slipped into Eric's arms and started dancing to the music. She tried not to cringe when he attempted to sing along, but the fact that he was wildly off-key was rather hard to ignore. Delko saw the look on her face and said, "I take it I shouldn't sing at the reception?"

"…No," Calleigh replied with a snicker. "No, you shouldn't."

Eric chuckled. "Keeping my mouth shut now."

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. It's just…you can't sing," Calleigh said truthfully. She gave him a peck on the cheek and said, "I still love you, though."

"I guess it's safe to say you're not marrying me for my singing skills," Eric said with a dry smirk. "And I love you, too."

Sabrina ran over to her parents and tried to squeeze between them, apparently wanting some attention. Eric bent down to pick up the little girl.

"What about you, Bri? You like Daddy's singing?" Eric asked. When he attempted to sing again, Sabrina shook her head and covered his mouth. Calleigh promptly burst into laughter.

"I'd take that as a no," Calleigh answered on behalf of their daughter. "But we still love you. Right Bri? Give Daddy a kiss."

Eric smiled sheepishly as his daughter and fiancée both gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Love you two too," he replied. "Even if I can't sing."


	33. 32: New Beginnings

Chapter 32: New Beginnings

* * *

**_Saturday, October 1, 2005_**

Calleigh sighed uneasily as she glanced over herself once more in the mirror. Her wedding ceremony was just about to start, and she was feeling so unbearably nervous that she was almost afraid her heart would leap right out of her chest.

"It's just about time…are you almost ready, lambchop?" Calleigh heard her father call her.

The blonde sighed once more and nodded. "I think so," she said in a shaky tone.

Duke watched his daughter slip into a pair of tall heels. He cocked a brow in amazement as he watched her strut over to him. "Wow, I didn't know you wore heels that high."

"I usually don't…my bridesmaids made me get these," Calleigh admitted. "It took me a while to get used to walking in them."

"Gave into peer pressure, eh?" the father jested.

Calleigh managed to laugh at her father's joke. "Yeah. I guess I did."

The father held his arm out to his daughter. Calleigh locked arms with him and they started for the ceremony. As they got closer and Calleigh heard the music playing, Calleigh found herself growing even more nervous. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach as she made it to the back rows of the small crowd. It was then that she saw Eric. Clad in a chocolate-brown tuxedo, he looked as handsome as ever. He gave a small smile as they locked eyes with each other.

A sensation of sheer bliss—mixed with a hint of arousal—overcame Eric once he saw his bride. Her cream-colored mermaid gown hugged her figure in all the right places and accentuated her ample curves. It was without a doubt the perfect dress for the perfect woman in Delko's eyes.

"Whoa," he breathed once she was by his side. "You look…_beautiful_."

"You don't look too bad yourself," Calleigh whispered back.

The couple joined hands as the ceremony began. Calleigh grinned happily as she gazed over at her soon-to-be husband. Somehow, this felt like something straight out of a dream. That dreamlike sensation quickly wore off and reality set in as she heard Sabrina babbling loudly in baby-gibberish. The little girl ran over to her mother, clinging onto her legs. Calleigh's mother came to pick up her granddaughter and brought her over to her seat for the rest of the ceremony.

The ceremony passed quickly and after the couple said their "I do's", the minister presented the newlywed couple. Calleigh's heartbeats accelerated as she kissed Eric on the lips for the first time as his wife.

During the entire ceremony, Horatio's attention was directed at his own wife. It was the very second time he'd seen her in a long dress; the first time was their wedding day when she wore that long ball gown. Horatio had to admit he liked the way she looked in a longer dress; it made her look rather elegant. Not to mention the side slit that came up to her thigh caused his imagination to run wild. As the ceremony was over with and the small crowd started to clear out, Horatio approached Angel, wrapping an arm around her waist.

Angel smiled at her husband. "That was a nice ceremony, don't you think?"

The redhead nodded, slightly distracted as he glanced down at Angel's exposed leg.

"You look nice in a long dress, love," he told her.

Angel's smile remained. "Thanks, baby," she replied. "I wasn't so sure how I'd look in it at first. But knowing that you like it makes me feel a little bit better about stepping outside my box."

"You look absolutely _beautiful_, sweetheart," said Horatio with a small—and almost mischievous—smirk.

Angel giggled as he gingerly ran his fingertips over her leg. She pulled his hand away and said, "Don't start something you can't finish, baby."

"Fine, I'll behave," Horatio replied. He lowered his voice to add, "For now."

Angel only smiled in response.

* * *

Later that evening, Horatio and Angel were just returning home with their twins. The mother brought both babies to bed while Horatio waited for her in the master bedroom. As she clacked back into the room, Horatio's gaze drifted right down to her exposed leg. He went over to her as she entered, sweeping her off her feet and into his arms.

Angel giggled as he carried her over to the bed and laid her down. "Something tells me you want something from me," she said.

"I've spent the entire day looking at you like this," he said, gesturing to her dress. He leaned over to kiss her and murmured, "Forgive me if I have a one-track mind."

Angel smirked. "Mm. Remind me to wear this dress more often."

"…Will do," Horatio said with a chuckle as he went to remove her dress from her body.

* * *

Angel awoke later that night when she heard one of the twins crying from the baby monitor. She moaned and turned over to shake her husband awake.

"Baby's crying," she mumbled when he awoke. "Your turn."

"My turn? Didn't I go in there a couple hours ago?" Horatio countered groggily.

"No…you've been sleep all night."

Horatio frowned. "I could've sworn I went in there already."

"How about the both of us go?" Angel muttered as she picked herself up. "Besides, the both of them are going to start crying soon and we'll need each other's help."

Horatio groaned as he stood up too and the two ambled down the hallway to the twins' room. Gabriel was wailing loudly, which made Sera wake up and start crying too. Horatio went to see what Gabriel wanted while Angel tried to rock Sera back to sleep. Even after Angel got Sera to settle down, Gabriel was still crying. He was crying so hard that his little face reddened. Horatio wasn't sure what was bothering the boy; that is, until he paid closer attention.

"Love, I think I know what the problem is," Horatio said to his wife. Angel laid the sleeping girl back in her crib and went over to the males to see Horatio point to an emerging tooth in Gabriel's mouth. "Poor widdle buddy's getting his very first tooth."

"Damn it… We don't have teething rings yet," muttered Angel. "What are we gonna do?"

"I think I have an idea," Horatio replied. "The point of the teething ring is that it's something cold that the baby can suck on to relieve the pain. How about we look for something in the freezer?"

"Good idea. I'll go look right now."

Angel darted out of the twins' room and down the hallway to the kitchen. Horatio followed her, not wanting Gabriel's crying to disturb his now-sleeping sister. Angel rummaged through the freezer until she pulled out a bag of frozen bananas.

"What about this?" she asked.

Horatio shrugged. "It's worth a shot."

Angel opened the bag and pulled a banana chunk out and placed it on Gabriel's gums. The baby soon settled down as he nibbled on the cold banana.

"It worked," she said with a relieved sigh.

"That feels much better, doesn't it buddy?" Horatio said with a chuckle as he rocked the little boy in his arms. Gabriel gazed up at his father until he grew drowsy and fell asleep again. Horatio leaned down to kiss his son's forehead and whispered, "Good night, buddy."

Angel smiled at the two. She took the banana from the baby and kissed him goodnight as Horatio took the baby boy back into his room.

* * *

**_Tuesday, November 1, 2005_**

One month later, Horatio was getting ready to go back to work one morning. He'd enjoyed the time he was able to spend with his family, but now he was due back for an evaluation that morning to determine whether he was able to go back to work after his administrative leave. Horatio had gone to therapy several times with Angel, and he did realize that going helped the both of them feel a lot better. Angel was on a lower dose of medication and was likely to come off it completely by the end of that year. Horatio himself wasn't having frequent nightmares anymore and was back to his normal self, too. Things were much better again, Horatio realized, and he was truly grateful things turned out well in the end.

The male had just finished getting dressed when he heard one of the twins crying. Since Angel was in the shower, he figured he'd check on the baby before he ate breakfast.

When he got into the nursery, he saw that Seraphina was crying. He strolled up to the crib and held the little girl in his arms.

"What's wrong, princess?" H asked as he cradled the baby in his arms. He noticed that her face looked flushed. He placed his hand to the baby's head and noticed she felt really warm. The male frowned.

"I heard crying from the baby monitor," Angel said as she entered the room in her robe. She froze when she saw the troubled look on Horatio's face. "What's wrong?"

"Does she feel warm to you?" Horatio asked his wife.

Angel felt Sera's head and noticed the same thing Horatio did. "She's got a fever."

"Her face is flushed, too," Horatio added.

"I'll call the doctor right now," Angel said. "I probably should take Vari out just in case whatever Sera has is contagious."

"Good idea, love."

As Angel picked up Gabriel and went to the other room, Horatio turned his attention back down to Seraphina.

"Shh, princess, don't cry… Mommy's gonna call the doctor and we'll figure out what to do. You'll feel better soon, princess, I promise."

Upon hearing her father talk to her, Sera settled down a bit. Horatio continued to talk to his little girl until Angel came back in the room, still on the phone.

"I have to take her temperature," she mouthed to Horatio. The father nodded and helped undress Sera so Angel could take her temperature. Angel sighed uneasily when she saw the result.

"It's 100.2 degrees…is that bad?" Angel said into the phone. A pause, and then Angel gave a more relieved sigh. "Okay. So if it goes up, just bring her in? …Okay, thank you."

"What did they say?" Horatio asked after she hung up.

"They said that as long as the temperature isn't more than 101 and she's still able to eat and drink, she should be just fine. If it goes up, though, I'll bring her in."

"Maybe I should stay home today…and go back tomorrow, or next week…" Horatio suggested.

"No, I think we'll be okay without you," Angel replied. "Besides, you have that meeting with IA today and I don't think it'd look good if you missed it."

Horatio didn't look convinced. Angel took Sera from his arms and said, "Tell Daddy to stop worrying. He doesn't seem to listen to me."

Seraphina giggled when Angel tickled her, which made Horatio smile too.

"Fine…I'll go. But I'm calling during my lunch break and if Sera's fever went up, I'm coming straight home."

Angel pursed her lips. "There's no winning with you, is there?"

The redhead chuckled. "Not when it comes to my little princess."

"I can already tell you're gonna spoil her rotten," Angel muttered as she walked away to start breakfast.

* * *

That afternoon, Horatio had been officially given the go-ahead to return to work after the long meeting. Horatio had to admit he missed being at work. More importantly, he missed being around his team. He smiled as he entered the break room and saw Speedle, Eric, and Calleigh chatting while eating their lunches.

"Mind if I join you?" Horatio said as he took a seat at the table.

"Hey, H, welcome back!" the group chorused happily as they saw their supervisor sit before them.

"How's it goin' with Angel?" Speedle asked. "I know she looked pretty good last month at Eric n' Calleigh's wedding. Is she still doing good?"

"Yes, she's doing just fine. I'm a little worried about my daughter though. She had a low fever this morning."

"Uh-oh. Is she eating and drinking okay?" Eric asked.

"I think so. When I left this morning, she was drinking her bottle."

"The same thing happened to Bri a little while ago," Calleigh jumped in. "She had a low fever, but other than that she was fine. The fever went away by the time the day was done…the doctor said it was probably 24-hour bug, nothing serious. I'm sure it's the same thing with Sera."

"You may be right…but I'm still giving them a call later on to check on her," Horatio replied.

The group continued to converse until their break was up. Horatio notified his team that he'd been assigned to the same case they were working on and that he would meet them out at the Hummer right after he called Angel. He pulled out his personal cell phone and called her cell.

"Hey baby," Angel answered. "How'd the meeting go?"

"Good. I'm going back to work in a little bit. How's Sera?"

"She's doing fine. She's a little fussier than usual, but for the most part she's doing just fine. Her temperature went down a little bit, too."

Horatio gave a sigh in relief. "Good. In that case, I should be home around five this evening, love."

"Okay, babe. I'll have dinner ready by then. I'll see you tonight."

After the redhead said his goodbye and hung up, he started out for the front to catch up with the rest of his team.

* * *

A/N: I learned that trick with the banana for teething babies over the internet somewhere. Since I don't have kids myself, I have to research all the baby parts to make it as accurate as possible.

Review please? Thank you!


	34. 33: Spoiled Rotten

Author's Note: We're nearing the end of the story now. The name of the next story will be at the end of the last chapter.

I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Don't forget to let me know how I did in a review!

* * *

Chapter 33: Spoiled Rotten

* * *

**_Tuesday, November 1, 2005_**

Horatio made it home that evening a little later than he expected to. That was because he spent over an hour at the toy store seeking out a get-well gift for his daughter. He'd had some trouble choosing among three different toys. In the end, he ended up getting all three.

The redhead juggled the three stuffed animals in his arms while trying to unlock the front door. When he entered the condo, he saw Angel in the living room playing with Gabriel.

"I'm home, love," Horatio called. "Where's Sera?"

"Hey babe. She's in her room napping," Angel replied as she turned around. She frowned when she saw the toys. "What's all that for?"

"Get-well presents for my little princess," Horatio replied. "I couldn't decide what she'd like best out of these three, so I just got her all of them."

Angel sighed, shaking her head as she smiled slightly. "I knew you would spoil her."

Horatio smiled too. "I'm going to go check on her."

The male went to the nursery where he saw Seraphina still sleeping. The redhead set the toys on the rocking chair nearby and reached down to feel his little girl's forehead. She didn't feel nearly as warm as she did that morning, he realized.

The baby stirred and smiled when she gazed up at her father.

"Hi Sera," Horatio said, returning the smile as he picked up his daughter. "You feeling any better, princess?"

Seraphina laid her head on her father's chest. She held onto Horatio's shirt with hand and sucked her thumb on the other. Horatio kissed his daughter's forehead and went to pick up the toys.

"I got you something, princess," Horatio said and held up the three stuffed animals. Seraphina reached for the biggest one, an oversized stuffed monkey. The male chuckled as he sat in the chair sat Sera in his lap next to the giant stuffed animal.

"Do you like Dada's presents, princess?" Horatio asked his daughter in a baby-talk tone. "Dada was so worried about his widdle princess all day. Dada loves you."

Seraphina babbled something in baby gibberish. In the mist of her chattering, Horatio heard something that he recognized to be a real word. He did a double take upon hearing it.

"Did you just say 'dada'?" the male asked, hoping his daughter would repeat herself. To his surprise, she babbled "dada" several more times.

"_ANGEL!_" Horatio called loudly. "Love, come quick!"

Angel was in the room in a flash, worried that something was wrong upon hearing her husband's frantic tone.

"What? What happened?" she asked breathlessly.

Horatio fell silent and let his wife hear Sera speak. Angel's worried frown soon disappeared and an elated grin replaced it.

"Did she just say her first word?" Angel said in awe. "Did she just say 'dada'?"

Horatio nodded, smiling too. "She did."

"Wow…my baby girl is talking." Angel looked down to Gabriel in her arms. "You're next, Vari. Can you say mama?"

Gabriel gazed up at his mother, giving a one-toothed grin. He jabbered in baby-gibberish, not really saying anything.

"Well…you'll say something someday," Angel said with a smile. She kissed the baby boy. "Good try though."

"I think Sera's fever is gone," Horatio said as he bounced the baby on his knee. "My little princess is doing better."

"Told you she would be just fine," the mother said. "You bought out the toy store for nothing."

"It's only three toys, love," the redhead said.

Angel rolled her eyes playfully. "You're _still_ spoiling her."

"Well, you never complain when I spoil _you_," Horatio countered.

The woman considered this for a moment. "Touché. I guess it wouldn't hurt to spoil her a little."

Horatio smiled. He recalled that he would be spoiling his wife again pretty soon, too; he told himself he was going to trade in her car for a brand new one within the next couple months. He couldn't wait to see the look on her face when she saw her new vehicle.

"Dinner is ready," Angel's voice brought Horatio out of his thoughts. "I think the twins should be up for their next meal soon, too."

"Okay, love. I'll be right there," Horatio replied. Angel turned to leave the room, but not before Horatio added, "I love you, sweetheart."

Angel beamed. "I love you too, Horatio."

* * *

**_Saturday, January 28, 2006_**

A few months later, Horatio had finally made the decision on what car to buy his wife. He decided on a slightly used Buick Enclave, and he paid a little extra for a built-in navigation system since he recalled how Angel didn't like being lost. Since he'd saved over the past several months, he was able to get her something nice without having to worry too much about finances later on.

As he realized he couldn't bring the SUV home until his anniversary, Horatio called Chris a few weeks ago to let him in on the surprise. Chris agreed to keep the SUV at his place until Valentine's Day. The redhead was on his way from the dealership to Chris's place that Saturday afternoon. His story to Angel was that he went to put her car in the shop and Chris was bringing him home. In actuality, he'd traded in her little car to get a better deal on Angel's new SUV.

"Hot damn…when you said you were buyin' Angel a car, I was thinking something small like another sedan or somethin'. Not an SUV," Chris greeted Horatio once he pulled into the driveway. The Lopez man gazed over the vehicle. "Damn, this thing is nice. New or used?"

"Used," Horatio replied as he closed the driver's door. "It's last year's model. It took me a while to find one with the built-in navigation system."

"Yeah, 'cause if I know my sister, I know one of her biggest pet peeves is getting lost." Chris paused as he gazed over the vehicle. "Damn, this is a nice car. You think you can afford to sling a little somethin' somethin' my way? Y'know…help your favorite brother-in-law out."

Horatio only smiled.

"I'm kidding," Chris said. "But on the serious side…when do you want me to bring this baby back over to your place?"

"If you can, Valentine's Day evening," Horatio replied. "I'll be spending the day with Angel and the twins, and I want to wait to show her the gift after dinner."

"Okay. I was thinking of taking Delilah out to a movie that night anyway, so we could do it on the way downtown."

Horatio nodded in confirmation to the plan as he handed the keys over to Chris. "Thanks. Take care of it for me."

"Believe me, I sure will. I can't afford to pay you back if somethin' happens to this baby," Chris muttered in a half-joking, half-serious tone. "Ready to head home now? I'll drive, because I don't think your nerves are strong enough to have Jas drive."

"I heard that Daddy!" Jasmine cried from the doorway. "I have my _license_, remember?"

"Love you, baby girl," Chris said sweetly.

Jasmine huffed a breath before returning back inside.

Horatio chuckled as he followed his brother-in-law to his truck.

* * *

**_Tuesday, February 14, 2006_**

Horatio woke up early that Valentine's Day morning to start on Angel's surprise. He had it all planned out. He was going to surprise her with breakfast in bed that morning. She had classes at the community college that afternoon, from 11 to 4. Right before she left for school, she took the twins to the local daycare center. She would pick them up right after she left, and usually made it home at 5. Horatio took the day off so he could be at home to prepare for dinner, which was going to be his attempt at carne asada tacos. While they were eating, Chris was to drop off Angel's vehicle. Horatio made a mental note to eat quickly so he could get the car key from Chris while Angel was still eating. Horatio had got her a box of chocolates for dessert, and he was going to stash the car key in the box right before he gave it to her. He hoped his plan would run smoothly and that Angel would like her gift.

The redhead cooked up scrambled eggs, cinnamon French toast, and bacon for his wife. He poured her a tall glass of cranberry juice along with a mug of coffee. By the time he was done, it was around eight-thirty, which was the usual time she woke up. He carried the food to the master bedroom on a tray just in time to see her come out of the shower.

"Whoa, baby…what's all this?" Angel asked, pleasantly surprised.

"Part one of your anniversary present," Horatio replied, giving a warm smile.

Angel matched his smile as she watched him sit the food on her side of the bed. As she sat down, she said, "You really didn't have to do all this, babe. Thank you."

"I know I didn't have to, but I wanted to. One year ago I married the woman of my dreams, and I just want to show her how much I love her," H said. He leaned over to give her a peck on the lips. "I love you, sweetheart."

"…I love you, too," Angel replied softly. She gazed down at the food before her silently. Horatio saw what was coming and handed her a tissue as elated tears slid down her face. Angel received the tissue and dabbed the tears away, giggling nervously.

As she began to eat, she started speaking to her husband. "You know we've been through a lot in this past year. But no matter what we go through, I'll always love you. And I love you more and more every day." She paused as she started sniffling again. "God, my makeup is gonna be a hot mess by the time I get to school."

Horatio chuckled in response.

A wailing sounded from the baby monitor, and Horatio offered to go check on the twins while Angel finished breakfast. The father went to feed his twins, who were now just over seven months old. Both had learned to crawl recently, which resulted in Horatio baby-proofing the condo. He found that once they were mobile, they could get into a lot more trouble. He could only imagine how things would be when they learned to walk and get out of their cribs by themselves.

"Daddy has a lot of surprises for Mommy," Horatio told his twins as he helped them feed themselves. "I hope Mommy likes it all."

"I'm sure Mommy will," Angel's voice entered the room, startling Horatio. She smiled as she brought the dishes to the sink and gave her husband a peck on the cheek as she stood near him and the twins. She then asked, "So how long does Mommy have to wait for all of these surprises?"

"That…is a surprise in itself," Horatio replied with a smile. "You'll see."

Angel pouted. "Fine. I'll play along. But you know how impatient I can be, so I hope you won't wait too long."

The man only smiled, remaining silent as he finished feeding the twins.

"So when is Calleigh coming over to pick you up for work?" Angel asked. "She usually comes earlier than this."

Horatio's heart skipped a beat upon his wife's words. He recalled he'd been riding to work with his second-in-command since they only had one vehicle and Angel needed it to get to school and daycare. Calleigh usually picked him up eight-thirty. It was then that he realized he hadn't planned what he'd tell his wife since he wasn't going to work that day.

"Oh…uh, she's coming a little later today," Horatio quickly fibbed. "She had to go settle something at the daycare. We're both working half-days, so it works out."

"Oh okay," Angel replied, not suspecting a thing. "I'm gonna give the babies a bath and get them ready for daycare. Then I'm leaving for school. If you're gone by the time I finish, I guess I'll see you later today?"

Horatio realized if he was still there by the time Angel finished, she would suspect something. He figured he'd take a walk around the neighborhood right before she left, which would give the appearance that he had gone to work.

"Okay, love. I'll see you later," he said as coolly as possible before getting ready to leave himself.

* * *

Later that evening, Horatio's plan was working perfectly. Angel was pleasantly surprised with dinner, and Horatio finished just in time to slip outside and get the key from Chris. He put it into the box of chocolates before he came back in the dining room with her.

"Happy anniversary, love," Horatio said with a grin as he came up to her. He presented the box of chocolates to her, causing her to smile.

"Thank you, baby!" she responded, giving him a peck on the lips when she received her present. She opened the box and started munching immediately.

Horatio chuckled as he watched his wife scarf down the chocolate quickly. "I take it you were in the mood for chocolate?"

"You take it right, babe. I was cramping really bad, too. And everyone knows that chocolate is the cure to PMS," Angel said as she popped a few more chocolates into her mouth. She looked down to the box and noted it was almost empty. It was then that she saw something shiny beneath the chocolate wrappers. She pulled the mystery object into her hand and noticed it was a car key and remote.

"What's this?" Angel asked.

"Oh…how'd that get in there?" Horatio said, feigning confusion with a slight frown.

Angel pressed the panic button on the car remote and heard an alarm sound from outside. She frowned as she followed the sound of the car alarm to out front. There she saw it: a silver Buick Enclave SUV.

"Again I say…happy anniversary, love," Horatio said from behind her.

Angel turned around to face her husband silently, too shocked to say a word. She stared Horatio, then back at the car, and then back at Horatio again. The redhead frowned when he saw the blank look on his wife's face. For a brief moment, he was afraid she wasn't pleased with her gift.

"Do _you…like_ it?" he asked softly.

"You got me a new car…" she whispered. She grinned and abruptly shrieked, "OH MY GOD, YOU GOT ME A NEW CAR!"

The female bolted to the vehicle, opening the driver's door and getting inside. Horatio chuckled at the overjoyed expression on her face. After tinkering with the vehicle's new features for a moment, Angel ran back to her husband and literally leaped into his arms. Though Horatio caught her, he nearly lost his balance. He grinned as she peppered kisses across his cheek.

"So I take it you like your gift?" he said to her.

"Yes! I love it!" Angel exclaimed happily. She planted more kisses down his neck and murmured, "I have something really, _really_, **_really_** important to tell you."

"I love you too, Angel," Horatio responded before she made her statement.

"Well…yes, I love you, but that's not the important thing I was going to tell you."

Now confused, Horatio said, "Okay…what is it?"

Angel kissed his lips passionately before whispering, "You're getting laid tonight."

Horatio smirked mischievously. "Well in that case…I think you'd better put that alarm on, love."

Angel giggled as she locked her new SUV and set its alarm right as Horatio carried her inside.


	35. 34: The Perfect Father

A/N: This is the second to the last chapter of the story. Next is the epilogue. Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 34: The Perfect Father

* * *

**_Tuesday, February 14, 2006_**

"You are the most amazing husband in the history of marriage," Angel sighed happily as she laid her head across Horatio's bare chest. "I am so glad I found you."

"I'm glad I found you too," Horatio said with a chuckle at the memory of the events that just passed. "Wow. That was amazing."

"Y'know…I should've _figured_ you were up to somethin'," Angel said. "The last time my car was in the shop, it didn't take more than a week. How'd you hide this from me for so long?"

"Chris helped me out," Horatio replied. He paused before adding, "He seemed a tad envious of your new car. He asked if I could buy him one too."

"…Yeah, that sounds like something my brother would say," the female snickered. She rose and drew her hair back into a single ponytail. She hovered over Horatio, giving him a peck on the lips. "I love you."

"Love you, too," H responded.

* * *

**_Wednesday, February 15, 2006_**

The next day, things were business as usual at the crime lab. It was around break time that afternoon, and the CSIs congregated in the break room to eat their lunches.

"Hey, Speed, what ever happened to Natasha?" Eric tried to strike conversation. "You don't talk about her as often anymore."

By the look on Tim's face, apparently that wasn't the best subject to discuss. He ran his hand over his face, giving a shrug. "We uh. We've decided to go our separate ways, I guess."

"Really? What happened? By the way you guys were goin', I was sure you were ready to propose," Delko half-joked.

"I dunno," Speedle said. "We've been on and off this past year. Nothin' really serious. I guess she's just lookin' for something more serious now."

Silence fell over the room. Calleigh could tell it was time to change the subject, so she looked to her supervisor. She recalled he was to give Angel her present the day before. "Hey, H…how'd yesterday go? Your first wedding anniversary with Angel, right?"

Horatio smiled. "It went well. She loved her gift."

"I heard you got her a new car," Delko jumped in. "What kind?"

"A Buick Enclave. I wanted to get her an SUV that had enough room for the kids when they get bigger."

"Nice," Speedle said. "No wonder she loved the gift."

Horatio only smiled.

As the CSIs' conversation drifted to more exotic cars, Horatio felt his phone buzz on his hip. He looked down to check it and saw a text message from Frank. "_Need to talk to you ASAP_," it read. Horatio excused himself from the group and headed over to Tripp's office to see what he wanted.

"Francis," H called as he entered his office. "You wanted to see me?"

"Yeah, H…sit down," Tripp answered. Horatio obeyed the Texan's wish and sat in front of the desk. He fiddled with his sunglasses as he waited for Frank to speak.

"Remember about a year ago when you asked me to look up something on an Andrés Lopez?" Frank began.

"…Andrés Lopez," Horatio repeated with a nod. "I asked you to keep me posted on when he'd be released from the psychiatric hospital."

"Well…this is me keeping you posted. According to the doctor I talked with this morning, his tentative release date is March 6th."

Horatio sighed. That was less than three weeks away. He realized he needed to formulate a plan of action soon, just in case Andrés decided to give Angel any more trouble.

"Okay…" H said softly. "Francis, can you do me one more favor?"

"What's that?"

"…Can you let me know where he'll be once he's released?"

"I figured you'd ask me that, so I asked the doctor about any temporary housing programs they had. It turns out that Andrés didn't sign up for the program. The doc said there's a good chance that he's heading out of town, but no one will know for sure until after he's released."

The redhead sighed. Somehow he sensed his job just got much more difficult. "Okay. Can you—"

"Keep you posted?" Frank finished his sentence. "Yeah, I will. But I'm just curious… what'd this guy do? I can tell by the way you want me to track him down that he had to do _somethin'_ to piss you off."

Horatio paused. He realized Frank didn't have the slightest clue what Andrés did since Andrés Jr.'s murder case ran cold for about three months and Frank wasn't there when it was finally closed.

"I have reason to believe he's a danger to my wife and kids," Horatio answered. "He was supposed to go to jail for sexually assaulting Angel and killing his own son to get to her, but the judge was convinced he wasn't mentally competent at the time of crime so he shouldn't be held responsible. After he leaves the psychiatric hospital, he's a free man."

"Damn," Frank said softly. "Sorry you had to go through that."

Silence fell over the two until Frank spoke up again, "I'll definitely let you know where this creep will be after he gets out. But a little something from me to you…I think you should warn your wife about him gettin' out soon. You wouldn't want any surprises."

"Right," H said with a nod as he rose from his seat. "Thanks."

* * *

That evening when Horatio came home from work, he intended on telling his wife the news about Andrés, Sr. as soon as he saw her. However, when he entered the condo and saw Angel happily playing with the twins, he felt he didn't want to disturb her happy moment.

"I'm home, love," Horatio called.

Angel gasped theatrically as she let the twins down to the floor. "Look guys! Daddy's home!"

"Dada!" the twins cried in sheer delight as they crawled over to their father. Horatio managed to smile, and he bent down to pick up the babies.

"Yes, daddy's home," the father said in his baby-talk voice. He gave each twin a kiss on the forehead. "Daddy missed his widdle buddy and his widdle princess today."

"They've missed you too," Angel replied. "I talked to the daycare provider and she said that they've been saying 'dada' all day. And apparently when it comes time for lunch time, they get fussy if she doesn't play the airplane game to feed them. All because of you."

Horatio frowned in confusion. "What does that have to do with me?"

"_You're_ the one who started feeding them that way," Angel reminded him. "They won't be fed any other way because you spoiled them."

"Well, I suppose that is partially my fault," he said with a chuckle. He then looked down to the twins. "Speaking of which, are you two hungry? You want some nummy-nums?"

"They should; I haven't fed them yet," Angel said. "I was waiting until you came home."

Horatio brought both babies into the dining area and sat the twins in their high chairs. Angel went to the kitchen to put some baby food on plastic plates for the twins. As she was preparing their food, she felt Panda brush by her ankle. The cat nuzzled her head against Angel's foot, something she always did when she wanted something.

"Hey baby, can you feed Panda?" Angel called for her husband. "I'm trying to finish the babies' food."

The redhead walked into the kitchen and poured a bowl of food for the cat. He then called her to come eat, which is when she left Angel alone and went to eat her dinner.

"She's getting really big," Horatio verbally observed.

"I know," Angel replied as she started to go into the dining area with the twins. "She's much bigger than that tiny little kitten you gave me on my twenty-eighth birthday."

Horatio washed his hands and fixed his own plate. Angel made eggplant penne—Horatio's favorite—as a thank you dinner for her present the day before. The redhead smiled and made his wife a plate of food too before heading into the dining area.

"Here you go, love," Horatio said as he sat the plate on the table.

Angel smiled. "Thank you, baby."

She then turned her attention back to the twins. "Okay, Vari…here comes the airplane…_whoosh!_"

The baby boy giggled, which was when Angel gave him a spoonful of strained carrots. He didn't seem to like it that much, as he spit some of it back out. The mother figured it was good enough as she moved on to Sera.

"Here comes the airplane Sera…" Angel said.

The little girl clamped her mouth shut and turned her head away from her mother. She looked to Horatio and reached out to him.

"Dada…" she whined.

Angel feigned heartbreak. "Oh, so you don't want _Mommy_ to feed you. You only want _Daddy_. I see how it is."

Horatio chuckled and pulled his chair up to Sera's high chair. He took Sera's spoon and said, "Here comes the airplane…_whoosh!_"

Sera smiled and opened her mouth for her father to feed her.

Angel pursed her lips. "You little daddy's girl," she muttered.

Horatio smirked. "There's nothing wrong with being a daddy's girl. Right, princess?"

The father nodded his head, and Seraphina nodded with him.

"Dada," Gabriel whined and reached for his father, too.

Horatio smiled and fed his son too. The father took turns feeding both babies, which is when Angel stood up and sighed.

"Well… I can see I'm not wanted here anymore," she said in mock disappointment.

The female went to sit at the table to eat her own dinner. In all honesty, she wasn't really upset. It was actually just the opposite. She enjoyed watching Horatio with the babies. He was the perfect father to them.

"You're an amazing father, baby," Angel said to the redhead as she forked over her food.

Horatio smiled in response to his wife's comment. His smile faded slightly as he recalled the news he'd been withholding about Angel's own father. Upon remembering Frank's words, he realized he needed to tell her sooner rather than later.

"Love, I need to tell you something important," Horatio said after he'd finished feeding the twins and sat at the table with Angel.

Angel sensed the sudden seriousness in his tone. Upon the grave expression on his face, she figured she needed to brace herself for some bad news.

"What is it?"

"I talked to Frank earlier today and he says that your father has a tentative release date set."

Angel's heart pounded. She was almost afraid to ask how soon that date would be, for she had a strange feeling she wouldn't be prepared for this.

"When is it?" she finally managed to say.

"March 6th," Horatio replied. "Frank said that it's likely that he's leaving town, but we won't know for sure until after he's released."

The female shuddered as she exhaled a breath. "That's only about two-and-a-half weeks from now."

Angel dropped her fork to the table as fear suppressed her appetite. She propped both elbows on the table and held her head in her hands.

"I'm not ready for this, Horatio," she murmured softly. "I've been fighting this battle with my father for about twenty-four years. Now I'm less than two semesters away from graduating college and I have two children. I can't go back to how things used to be. I can't keep doing this."

"I know, sweetheart," Horatio jumped in as he ran his fingers through her hair. "I don't want you to worry about this, okay? I know it's easier said than done, but I promise you I'll take care of it. He won't come near you or either of the children if I have anything to do with it. So don't worry… Okay?"

Angel lifted her head to look Horatio in the eyes. He gave one of his ever-famous charming grins, which made Angel give a weak grin in response.

"Okay, I'll try. But can you at least let me know whether he leaves town or not?"

"I'll do that," Horatio replied. He leaned over to give her a peck on the lips. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Angel replied.

* * *

**_Monday, March 6, 2006_**

Horatio attempted to go about his usual business that Monday morning; however, the thought of Andrés being a free man that day remained on his mind. The redhead checked his work phone constantly to see if Frank had any news on Andrés's whereabouts, and it was all to no avail. The day crept on slowly, and the uncertainty was driving Horatio insane.

Finally, when it was nearing the end of the shift, Horatio felt his phone buzz. Frank was calling.

"Francis," Horatio answered. "Did you get anything on Andrés?"

"Yeah. According to a credit card receipt, he bought a one-way plane ticket to San Diego, California. The flight left about an hour ago. I called the airport, and they confirmed he was on board. So I don't think he'll be giving you or Angel any trouble for a while."

Horatio gave a sigh in relief. Somehow he sensed it wouldn't be that easy, but at least he could rest easy for the time being.

"Thanks, Frank," Horatio replied. The two said their goodbyes, and Horatio went home to tell his wife the good news.

* * *

"So you're telling me he's gone?" Angel said, frowning in disbelief. "He just up and left? That's it?"

"From what Frank told me, yes," Horatio replied.

"There's no way in _hell_ it's gonna be that easy," Angel countered, still skeptical. "If I know one thing about my father, it's that he doesn't give up easily. He's coming back, I know it. I can feel it."

"Well…" Horatio began as he slipped his hand in hers. "We'll just have to be ready for him when he does. We can do this."

Angel inhaled deeply as Horatio wrapped his arms around her. It was then that she knew that no matter what they went through, no matter what problem came their way, they would be able to get through it. As long as they had each other, they would be all right. The female exhaled slowly, suddenly feeling more courageous in his arms.

"We can do this…" she repeated, finally believing it for herself. "We can do this."


	36. Epilogue: Conflicted

Epilogue: Conflicted

* * *

**_Wednesday, July 26, 2006_**

He ran his fingertips over her picture, giving a rather desolate sigh. It had been nearly two years since he'd seen her face-to-face. And if he remembered correctly, today was her thirtieth birthday. He would've called her and wished her a happy birthday, yet he knew that probably wouldn't be the best idea. He knew well enough that she didn't want anything to do with him anymore, especially after their last encounter.

Part of him was disgusted with his past behavior towards her. He really couldn't understand what came over him, couldn't comprehend why he wanted her the way he did. He was supposed to be a father figure, someone who she could look up to. He was supposed to help her, not hurt her.

However, he found that another part of him didn't want to be her father at all, but something much more sensual. He couldn't help it if she looked to be a mirror image of her mother, his former lover. In fact, he actually found her to be _more_ attractive than her mother. A smirk worked its way onto his features as he thought of what he did with her the last time he'd seen her.

He immediately shook that thought from his head. He couldn't think of his own daughter that way, not anymore. Not after going through 18-months of daily therapy and heavily-medicated treatment at the psychiatric hospital. He wasn't going to go back to the way he used to be.

"I have to start over," Andrés, Sr. told himself as he formulated a plan of action. "I have to make things right with Angel…"

* * *

The End

* * *

A/N: Thank you for reading! The name of the third story will be called "_The Safest Place_" and I've already started writing it, so look for it soon! ;)


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